


A Change

by Galactic_Ink



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Action, Dystopia, M/M, Romance, Smut, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-05-12 14:24:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 64,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5669230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galactic_Ink/pseuds/Galactic_Ink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alfred Jones was an average B-Class citizen in the security-field division, but after a raid that resulted in an encounter with the Radical leader things began to change.*I EDITED ALMOST EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING FROM CHAPS 1-11 ARE EDITED!*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: I EDITED ALMOST EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING FROM CHAPS 1-11 HAS BEEN EDITED!

**Hetalia: Axis Powers**

 RusAme

 

 

**A Change **

**1**

Every screen within the Grand Haven World, was wiped free of advertisements and TV shows to hold the image of The Givers. Eight distinguished figures that watch over the main eight cities of Grand Haven. Every pair of eyes were glued to these screens, no one moved, no one talked, for The Givers began to speak.

_"For thirteen years our planet was at the brink of annihilation. World War V had ruined humanity."_

_"Radical groups began to ravage the land, and target every government that still stood after the war. They used any means necessary to rid the world of government, costing thousands of lives."_

_"For thirteen years the Radicals ruled our lands. They fed the chaos, the fear, the death, the destruction of what it meant to be human."_

_"But that was long ago. Now, in the year 2613 we live."_

_"We, The Givers, have brought order, life, and sanity to humanity once again. No longer are we ruled by Radicals. Those unclassed filth have been pushed to the unsalvageable lands where only death awaits them."_

_"There is no more fear of death, no more physical fornication, no more crime, no more questionable learning, no more misunderstandings, no more drugs, no more fear, no more chaos."_

_"We, The Givers, have built upon the charred remains of our past a new future. A new way of life."_

_"Order has been restored. Our planet, our world, Grand Haven, composed of vast cities scattered across what parts of the world that are left untouched by the unsalvageable lands, house what is left of sanity, house what is left of humanity."_

_"Because of this, The Radicals seek to destroy our peace and cast us back into the dark ages those thirteen years previous."_

_"They attack us without warning, without mercy, destroying the lives of citizens and the city itself with their barbaric technology."_

_"That is why we, The Givers, have supplied protection and care, having B-Classes to carry out our protection and care to you citizens of Grand Haven World. This rebellion will not last much longer."_

_"Grand Haven is home. We, The Givers are life. You, the people, have a purpose."_

The Givers said this last line in unison, their hands firmly behind their backs. The blank looks of The Givers burned into the minds of every citizen, before the screens were changed back to their original programs.

"Alfred."

Alfred blinked repeatedly as he heard his name called, and a hand touch his shoulder. He looked away from the screen that had once held The Givers' image to see his friend beside him.

"Ah, sorry Kiku."

"It's alright, but we need to get going. A B-Class's job is to help others. We cannot fall behind on that."

Alfred nodded his head, and continued to walk with his friend and teammate to the security building.

As B-Class citizens in the world, Grand Haven, they were charged with the crucial task of helping others. Be it security, protection/rescue, or informational. B-Classes are the average minded citizens of the world. The order of Grand Haven was determined by genetics during "breeding" of the 1% of the population that remained unsterilized. S-Class was the highest there is, S-Class citizens were the bosses of others and served The Givers; they were perfect. A-Class citizens were the educators, knowing enough to teach, but not too much to question. B-Class citizens were the helpers, always helping and always watching. C-Class were common workers, the sellers, they only had the mental strength to do a few things at a time. D-Class, the manufactures, they were nothing more than simple minded citizens that followed orders and did one task. To add this unique separation, everyone had a name that no other had. There was never a repeated name, or a similar version, everyone was as individual as they were united in their class.

This was how the world ran, and as far as anyone cared it had always been that way since The Givers arrived. Many citizens don't even recall much of what the world was like beforehand, due to conditioning to help them be stable citizens in The Givers' world. They only knew vaguely of the time of the Radicals through the history books The Givers approved.

Alfred and Kiku walked amongst the crowds in an orderly fashion up to their building; just one of thousands of skyscrapers within the city limits. Both of them placed their badges on the door scanners to be processed. The purple light scanning over them, and the door giving its usual welcome.

_"Alfred Jones, B-Class security division. Welcome and have a safe work day."_

_"Kiku Honda, B-Class security division. Welcome and have a safe work day."_

When the doors slid open, Alfred and Kiku walked into the lobby of their building to see other B-Classes and S-Class Commissioners rushing about. Everyone was clad in uniforms: black pants with a red stripe circumferencing the left thigh, dark blue short-sleeve shirts with black ties, and a series of red stripes and blue dots on their shirt sleeves to indicate their role in the division. Alfred, like most B-Classes, had two stripes showing that they were the field division. They stood amongst the citizens in their world protecting and helping others against the Radicals when they came to raid.

As of late the Radicals had been increasing their advances on the world of Grand Haven, and today The Givers had ordered all B-Class security to be prepared. They expected the worst raid to occur today of all days because, it was the anniversary of Grand Haven. The Radicals always hit harder on the anniversaries to prove their unrelenting point of a "free world".

Alfred and Kiku walked briskly through the lobby and into the glass elevator to head up to their floor. The moment they got out they could hear their boss demanding certain teams to get down to the transports. The blonde haired S-Class quickly spotted Alfred and Kiku and called out to them.

"Alfred, Kiku, get suited up," Arthur shouted as he walked around cubicles to get to the pair. "Alfred, your team is being briefed now so get moving and get to the room," Arthur stated.

"Yes Commissioner," both of them acknowledged quickly, then rushed off to get dressed.

Alfred and Kiku slipped on their protective gear and armed themselves once given clearance to do so. The only weapons allowed in Grand Haven World where electrical based bullets that only B-Class security in the field could hold. The guns were lightweight and powerful, depending on the dial setting it could simply stun or completely obliterate a human internally.

The two B-Class checked over their gear, then hustled to the briefing room where Alfred's team awaited. Alfred was the leader of his team due to his exceptional skills in the power to lead and act. His team was his family, and one of them actually was, because they were "birthed" from the same genetic group. There wasn't many team members left however, since the last raid had taken quite a few of their lives.

"Alright everyone take a seat," Commissioner Arthur commanded as he walked into the briefing room.

Arthur was an S-Class, thus held the title Commissioner and Boss of the field division.

"The B-Class informatives have been tracking Radical movements for the past few hours. They're closing in faster than ever on their, whatevertheyare," Arthur stated as he looked at the data screen in his hand that held the information. "We need to be prepared because, once they hit the 1000 km line they'll vanish from our sensors. We are going to hold them off at the city limits, and if they break through we are just going to have to chase them down. I know we are low in numbers since the last raid, but we can do this. We are still repairing the damages too so let's not have any more to deal with, alright?" Arthur asked.

"You got it Arthur," Alfred said confidently.

"Good lad. I'll see you when it's over," Arthur said, and everyone began to file out. Arthur clapped Alfred's shoulder, and the honey blonde just nodded, then went on once Arthur pulled away.

"Alright, Kiku, Matthew, Kyle, and Yong Soo, we got to get this done and done right," Alfred stated, as he and his team headed to the lower levels of the building to get to a transport.

"We got this Al. No worries," Matthew assured.

"Alright, 'B-Class is the greatest class. No other class can compare. Helping others is our job. Helping others is our role,'" Alfred and his team recited in unison, the B-Class life purpose.

When they made it to the transport they filed in with other teams, and once seated the transport took off. Everyone sat in silence as they headed out, and the minute they was dropped off they took their positions and waited. The city limits of S-3 City facing west was a desolate place. Only the D-Class roamed around the area if they bothered to. The city had roads leading in and out all around it, but the west side led into nothing but dirt and grass. As the time ticked by someone gave a shout about a cloud in the horizon.

_"Alright, they just reached the mark,"_ came Arthur's voice through the earpiece in Alfred's ear.

Alfred acknowledged the call and knew from here on out they were blind. Forced to fight off the Radicals like savages, because they couldn't use any long range tech or locators. They could only use their own eyes to detect the Radicals. Everyone made sure their guns were ready, the settings set to maximum. Even without eyes in the fight they knew they would do damage. Damage that The Givers allowed, damage that they would praise.

Alfred gripped his gun tightly itching to pull the trigger, as the dust cloud got bigger and bigger. Unlike the citizens of the Grand Haven World, Radicals used bulky machines from years long since passed to transport themselves. They were loud, disgusting, and destructive.

"Look out!" Kiku shouted just a ways from Alfred.

Up ahead the Radicals had started with the usual first defense, smoke and gas. The canisters were shot from numerous vehicles, and landed with loud clanks or explosion. The substances within them were released; hindering sight and poisoning anyone stupid enough to not have their mask on at the time. As the smoke thickened the vehicles came forth, and bulldozed through the security lines and ramming their transport blockades out of the way.

"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!"

The B-Class security field division went to work. They shot down anything and anyone without so much as batting an eye. Radicals and B-Classes fell alike as the fight grew heavier than it ever had. With such weak numbers the majority of the B-Class teams where inner city, and Alfred could already tell it was going to be a difficult fight.

Alfred couldn't see any of his teammates, and just hoped for the best as he ran through the clouds of green and yellow. He ran into the city with a few other B-Classes, then to an explosion that took place not far away from him. The force of the explosion pushed him back a bit, knowing that one of the Radicals vehicles got taken out. Alfred ran to it and saw a few Radicals struggling to get away from it.

"Commander, go! Just go!" one of them shouted.

The man in question was bleeding from his head and breathing raggedly, as he tried to drag his friend.

"Commander go! I'm done for!"

"No, you are still living comrade!"

Alfred watched the scene for a moment, then quickly grabbed his gun as the Radical saying he was done for, was shot. The Commander quickly returned fire with skill that Alfred had never seen before, then turned to face him. Alfred quickly armed his gun and took shots at the man, but it was for not. The Commander of the Radicals shot his gun, piercing the metal and making the thing spark and sputter. Alfred quickly dropped it before it could explode in his hands, and moved out of the way as the Commander lunged at him. The man wielded a knife, which Alfred only found out after getting his cheek cut by it. He hissed at the sting of the cut, then glared at the man who attacked him and lunged for him.

"Radical filth!"

"Mindless swine!"

The two men collided in a barrage of punches and jabs. The Radical punching Alfred ever so often then going in for a jab with his knife. Alfred was quick to dodge the punches, but as the onslaught kept coming he made a few mistakes. Each shallow cut made him hiss, and become more determined to apprehend the man before him. He went after the Radical's legs, going for a high punch, to distract him, then kneeing him in the chest as he ducked and kicking out his legs. The Radical groaned and staggered into Alfred, bringing them down to the ground and losing his weapon. The fall knocked the wind out of Alfred, which left him vulnerable for a second, a second that the Radical used to his advantage. The man punched Alfred repeatedly in the face, but Alfred reached back and grabbed whatever lay around to hit the man over his head. The Commander ceased his movements enough to allow Alfred to kick him off, then climb on top of him and return the punches to the face.

The two brawled in the rundown streets of the D-Class domain, while other B-Class workers and Radicals fought to the death for what they believed was right.

"You are strong for a mindless swine," the Radical huffed out, his voice laced with a strange sound.

"Well you're not bad either you filthy murderer," Alfred growled out, and the instant he said it the Radical moved to pin him to the ground.

"Do not think you are higher than me," he hissed as he looked down at Alfred's bruised and bloody face. "You are just as much as a murderer. All of you are, especially your soulless Givers," he spat.

The two of them stared at each other with hatred in their eyes, but it faltered as an explosion went off close by. Alfred recovered from the shock of the explosion before the Radical, and pushed the other so he was on top of him. He quickly straddled the man, and took out his stunner and quickly turned it on. In that instant the two of them locked eyes on each other and as Alfred held the threat of stunning the Radical; Alfred found that the Commander held the threat of stabbing him. The Radical had gotten ahold of his knife again, and was digging it into Alfred's side.

Neither dared to move, and as they laid in their position the Radical began to notice certain things about the B-Class. His impossible blue eyes, and even with all the blood and bruising his face was an interesting sight. This average citizen was able to put up a damn good fight, and the way he was pinning him was becoming distracting. Alfred also began to notice things, things that he'd never seen on any citizen. From the strange eye and hair color, to how firm his body felt under him. Alfred had never touched anyone like this, no one in any of the cities in Grand Haven touched like this; it wasn't allowed. It was new and strange, and slightly disgusting since it was a radical and a man.

"PULL BACK, PULL BACK! FIND THE COMMANDER! FIND THE COMMANDER!"

This continuous shout, along with others, rang loudly over the destroyed city limits. The Radical Commander stared at Alfred intently, and beyond all reasoning he moved forward and connected his lips with Alfred's. Alfred was so shocked that he dropped his stunner, and the Radical effectively moved to pin Alfred and kept kissing him. Alfred was completely inactive as he felt the Radical move his mouth against his. When he pulled away, the two just stared at each other for a second before the Radical got up and ran off.

Alfred was left unable to move from his place on the ground. No one was allowed to, well not physically, do anything sexual/sensual. Those activities were done virtually, and even that was just vague images and pulses of pleasure. Sex was a forbidden, disgusting thing, just like kissing, or any fluid transfer. Such things as physical contact was only restricted to a handshake or a hand on the shoulder. Even relationships were restricted to one male and one female partnership; anything differing from it was an abomination according to The Givers. Thus what just happened to Alfred was illegal, and he felt disgusted and yet, not. He didn't know what to call that "not", whether it be shock, or something else entirely.

Alfred licked his lips without thinking, and shivered as he realized he could taste the Radical on them.

_'The Radical with violet eyes…'_

 

* * *

***BEHOLD My first ever dystopian story! Damn I've waited so long to make this. I love Dystopian novels and movies so much it hurts, and now I finally made my own with a good plot! ^J^ This thing is inspired by may dystopian novels and films and if yall can guess which ones I'll give you a cookie = (: :) *Reviews Welcomed! Still More To Come!***

**XX**

**EDIT: I EDITED ALMOST EVERYTHING FROM 1-11 HAS BEEN EDITED!**


	2. Chapter 2

  **2**

Alfred found himself snapping his eyes open and breathing harshly, as he felt the effects of his dream and the pills given to him racking his body. He sat up quickly in his bed, then scurried out of it to get to the bathroom to vomit into the toilet, but nothing came up. Alfred was stuck heaving dryly for a while, before his stomach settled down. He groaned and moved to lay down on the floor, and enjoyed the feeling of the ice cold tile on his hot skin. He breathed deeply and licked his lips, but paused midway as he realized what he was doing.

Ever since yesterday he couldn't keep himself from tasting his lips, even after he had been found, cleaned up, patched up, and sent home, he still did it. Even though the Radical's taste was gone he could almost mimic the feel of his lips with his tongue. But such an obscene thing was beyond him, and he knew he needed to stop. It didn't help either that the dream had basically been a replay of yesterday's raid. Even though they held off the Radicals it seemed to haunt him like a nightmare. Those violet eyes had been burned into his memory and no matter of sleep aids and relaxers was going to get them out. He knew he should hate those eyes, and he did, but it was only halfheartedly.

_'Will I be reconditioned?'_

Alfred groaned at this stray thought, and rolled himself over to face away from the toilet and cool the other side of his body.

To be reconditioned was a fate he did not wish for. He did not know how it worked, no one did, except for those who did the conditioning. As a B-Class in the field he knew what conditioning could do to a citizen, having seen it happen to other B-Classes who could not handle their jobs in the field. He had been in the escort parties to deliver the B-Classes to The Creation Building. He'd seen them go in as they suffered from their strange fits, then come out as calm as they day they were "birthed". He had found they had nearly no recollection of anything before their breakdown, and he did not want to lose his memories. Even if the Radical with violet eyes plagued his thoughts, he did not want that fate. Alfred let out a ragged breath as he tried to calm himself, no longer wanting to dwell on such dark thoughts. He eventually was able to close his eyes once more, and fell asleep.

He didn't wake up until a shrill alarm jolted him from his sleep. He achingly got off the ground and headed to his bedroom to turn it off. He then stretched and winced as his body ached from the fight with the Radical and sleeping on the floor. Even with the technology to heal and mend the body in seconds, it still took time for the body to really get over the ache. Alfred scratched the back of his head, then rubbed a hand over his face before getting ready for work. No one missed work unless The Givers said so, the building was destroyed during a raid, or an accident.

When Alfred had stopped his alarm, the rectangular screen on the wall near his closet turned on. A simple smiley face resided on the screen as it spoke.

_"Good morning Alfred. You are important. Your life purpose is an important purpose do not forget."_

"'B-Class is the greatest class. No other class can compare. Helping others is our job. Helping others is our role,'" Alfred recited absentmindedly, as he moved around his tiny apartment.

The B, C, and D-Classes lived in certain quality apartments in certain sectors of the cities depending upon their class. S and A-Class lived in elaborate apartments or homes if they wished. Alfred being a B-Class had an average apartment customized to his desire.

Alfred stood at his closet space pushing aside his casual clothing, outfits of bright colors and simple patterns, to get out his uniform. Once dressed, Alfred grabbed his work bag and headed out, but was stopped as the familiar voice of the smiley face filled his ears.

_"Let's start our day stress free."_

Alfred looked to the screen next to the door that lit up, and had two soft blue pills sitting in a tray beneath it. He sighed at realizing he nearly forgot his daily medication and took them. He swallowed them easily without water, then rushed off to catch the public transport to work with his fellow B-Class citizens. Everyone that was in the field division of security, could be picked out easily by the look of tiredness on their faces as they headed to work. When Alfred got to his security building he didn't expect to find what was waiting for him on his floor. Arthur stood before Alfred with two internal security men by his side. All three standing stiffly in uniform, though Arthur's held a series of blue dots between the red stripes, a symbol of S-Class rank.

"Alfred, you need to come with me," Arthur voiced flatly.

Alfred's blue eyes widened at hearing this, and looked at Arthur, then passed him to other B-Classes, for any hints on what was happening. Unfortunately no one met his gaze and Arthur gave no reassuring looks. Alfred could only give a nod and moved to make room for Arthur and the two men in the elevator. They rode it to the top floor, and Alfred was amazed to be going so high up. The top floor was reserved for S-Class citizens only. It was where the records were stored, or so it was told. The room was white and grey, and filled with rows and rows of file cabinets, shelving units, and a wall of doors. Arthur led Alfred to a room on the wall of doors, and had him sit down in a chair in front of a table.

"Alfred, how did you think the raid went?" Arthur asked as he walked to the other side of the table.

"Well," Alfred said simply.

"Correct. Did you think you did a good job?" Arthur inquired as he pulled out the chair at the table.

"Yes."

Arthur sighed deeply and shook his head.

"No, you didn't. Listen, you failed to do your job. Your job is to help others, but you failed at that."

Alfred stared at Arthur in shock and questioned on how he could have failed. Arthur picked up a screen that Alfred hadn't noticed was laying on the table and turned it on. He pulled up some pictures and documents on the clear rectangle then turned it to show Alfred. What Alfred was faced with was the Radical with violet eyes.

"This man is named Ivan Braginsky. He is a Radical, but not just any Radical. He's the leader." Arthur took a moment of pause. "He's the leader Alfred, and you fought with him, but what did you two do?"

Alfred instantly felt his heart racing in his chest, as his mind came up with the only reasonable answer as to why he was here.

_'The kiss!'_

"You two just stare at each other," Arthur began and pulled up the footage from a security camera, "You had the stunner, but for some reason, somehow, he got the better of you," Arthur said incredulously as the footage played before Alfred.

His racing heart came to a halt as he saw the kiss wasn't on the screen, what was there was a plume of thick smoke covering them up. Then later Ivan's form could be seen darting out from behind the smoke and running off with the retreating Radicals.

"This man, this man would have saved us a lot of trouble, and yet for some intangible reason you let him go. The Givers wanted you interrogated and reconditioned, but lucky for you I eased their minds." Alfred bit his lip absentmindedly, as Arthur leaned into his space. "What happened Alfred?"

"I-I… I was overpowered. That man, Ivan, he had managed to find a weapon and hit me with it, then took off. I was so stunned by it that I couldn't move," Alfred lied. "But, how come I am just being told about him now?" Alfred asked without thinking, and instantly regretted it by the look of shock on Arthur's face.

Arthur stared Alfred right in the eyes then leaned away from him.

"You shouldn't have to be told how to do your job Alfred. Ivan, leader or not of the Radicals, must be dealt with like anyone who defies our world. Do I make myself clear?"

Alfred just stared at Arthur for a moment then nodded his head.

"Very well."

With that Arthur gave a nod to the men behind Alfred, and they moved to leave the room. Alfred got up once Arthur told him too and they followed the men out. The men remained behind in the records room, leaving Alfred and Arthur to be in the elevator alone.

"My word Alfred, don't ever make me have to do that again," Arthur huffed out. "I am a bit miffed at you for this."

"S-Sorry Arthur," Alfred said sheepishly, not knowing what to really say.

Arthur was his friend, a brother of sorts, but with him being S-Class Alfred knew he had to be careful around him.

"Well. I meant every word though Alfred, the next time you see him you get him. I won't be able to defend you next time. As an S-Class it's my job to help keep order."

Alfred just kept his head low as he said, "Yes Commissioner."

** :/:/:/:/: **

What is known to the citizens of Grand Haven as the unsalvageable lands is known as The Old World, home, to the Radicals. The Old World is a land ravaged by war and the chaos of the Radical years and beyond. When The Givers came to be they had built their world in what remained of the eastern side of Earth. The Radicals claimed the west and inhospitable south, spanning out to even go across the once great oceans to flee from The Givers. They did not agree with government of any kind, and the tyranny of The Givers was something they sought to end. They did not want to give up the lifestyle from years passed; they wanted to read, learn, have a culture, question, touch, and so much more. They lived off the land and salvaged anything from years past. They lived in cities of their own, building homes from scraps of material, or taking up inside abandoned homes that they could fix.

The Radicals lived to survive.

"Ivan, are you awake? How are you feeling?" came a gentle voice.

Ivan gave a deep sigh, and opened his eyes to see his little sister beside him.

"Da, Natalia, and I am feeling better," he said tiredly as he moved to sit up in his bed.

He winced as he moved his aching body, and his sister just watched him critically.

"Brother, if you let me fight I will end those mindless pigs," she said flatly as she handed him a cup of water and pills.

Ivan raised a brow to this and shook his head.

"Nyet, we have had this conversation many times now," he said firmly and reached out to take what was offered.

"But Ivan—"

"Natalia, if I let you fight and get hurt or worse, I would not be able to live with myself or face Katyusha," he warranted, and looked his little sister in the eyes.

Natalia stared at her brother defiantly, but gave up with a huff.

"Everyone is waiting for you when you are ready, and Eduard wants to check on you as well."

Ivan nodded to this and Natalia moved to leave her brother's room. Once she was gone Ivan sighed and rubbed his aching shoulder as he looked out his window. He could see his fellow people below working on the farm land in the late morning sun. He could see their homes dotting the land and the forest that lied beyond, and though he couldn't see it he knew that S-3 City was beyond the forest.

A scowl came to his face as he thought of the raid the day before. It was a horrible failure, and he wished he didn't have such outdated technology. If he had just what the city's security had things would be different, or even just someone from the security would be helpful. Ivan gasped softly as his rambling thoughts came up with this idea, and instantly he knew someone he could get. The security officer he had fought with, the one with impossibly blue eyes and strength. Ivan could still remember how shocked he had been when he kissed him, and he found himself laughing about it. He honestly didn't know what possessed him to do it, whether knowing such an act was completely repulsive to him and shocking, or the fact he found the man attractive. Yes, he'd admit that much, for someone genetically screened and mass produced he seemed different somehow.

Ivan let out a sigh and ran a hand through his shaggy hair, then moved to get out of bed.

_'If I can take him not only would it be an advantage, but possibly something interesting will come of it.'_

Ivan chuckled softly at the notion of a B-Class accepting a homosexual relationship, kissing, and touching.

_'He'd probably punch me, or throw up before any of that happened.'_

Ivan sighed as the amusement faded a little, and moved to get on a well-worn blue shirt, scarf, and a pair of boots, then grabbed his jacket from yesterday. He rummaged through the many pockets on the jacket then smiled as he found what he was looking for. He pulled it out and found the badge he had swiped from the B-Class he fought. It hadn't been his intention to take it, he just happened to rip it off during their fight and kept it. He examined the plastic card intently, eyeing every detail of the badge then pocketed it.

"Alfred Jones, you'll be by my side soon enough," Ivan said with a pleased smile on his face as he left his room.

He climbed down the rickety staircase, and came to find some of the usual children and teens around his little city eating and talking.

"Ah, Good morning Vanya. Come have breakfast."

Ivan turned to see Katyusha holding a spoon in hand, as she leaned away from the stove to see her little brother. Ivan returned the greeting and walked into the kitchen to take the bowl of scrambled eggs and cooked pork meant for him.

"I am glad you are back Ivan," said Katyusha softly as her brother ate, then hugged him lightly before going back to the stove.

"I'll be at the base for a while Katyusha. I believe I have found something very useful."

Katyusha hummed at hearing this and wished her brother goodbye as he left the kitchen. As he left, the kids from before waved goodbye, and he nodded to them as he headed out of the rundown house. He took the usual dirt path that led to the base that ran through the city. As he passed through the city people greeted him, and he greeted them back as he made his way to the base.

The base was an abandoned military base from World War V, and he headed in to find everyone waiting for him like Natalia had said.

"Good afternoon Ivan," Toris greeted as he headed up to the man with an outdated data screen. "Here's all the data from yesterday."

Ivan nodded and took the screen gently; the images on it glitching every once in a while as he scrolled through everything on it. A frown came to his face as he looked at it then sighed.

"What are we going to do?" asked Gilbert from his perch on a broken console.

"Ja, we are running low on ammo, and Berwald from up north is having trouble as it is with his group getting supplies to trade with," Ludwig affirmed with arms crossed.

"I know, I know. Berwald's group is in need just like we are, and the other groups around, but this time," Ivan paused as a smile came to his face. "This time things are going to be different, da?"

"How?" Feliciano asked from his sit next to Ludwig.

Ivan dug into his pocket and pulled out Alfred's security badge and held it up. Everyone gasped at seeing the clear plastic card with blue text and a picture of a straight faced blonde.

"How did you get that?" Toris questioned as he looked at the badge.

"I had a fight with this B-Class after my truck got destroyed. He is going to help us," Ivan announced.

Everyone stared at Ivan unbelieving.

"Mon ami, that is impossible," came Francis' voice confidently.

"No, well, it may seem impossible, but I have a feeling that he will help _regardless_. We are going to take him on our next raid. This B-Class is a leader of his field team and he is quite strong."

"Alright, we kidnap him, but how? We've already raided; we barely got to the inner city before we got stopped at middle ground," Gilbert stated.

"Da, I know, but that's why we would raid as soon as possible. All we need to do is draw them out, use smoke and gas to cover us as usual, and I will grab Alfred then we will head back here. Going in as soon as we can is best because they will be caught off guard, and they will be too weak to spare many men to meet us at the city limits."

Everyone gave contemplative looks as they listened to their leader.

"If they are too weak to spare many men then how will we know where this B-Class is?" came a question from Eliza.

"That is just it. We won't know, but if he's at the city limits it will be easier to grab him. If not then we will get the chance to finally do some damage in the inner city," Ivan said with enthusiasm.

"I think we can pull this off," said Yao as he nodded his head, "Me and Lee had found fireworks not long ago while salvaging. We were saving them, but we could…use them to confuse the security," Yao drawled as he pieced together the idea in his head.

Ivan smiled at the news and nodded his head.

"Does everyone agree? The instant we can get enough things together we can head out."

Everyone nodded their heads, and Ivan couldn't wait to see Alfred again.

* * *

**Translations:**

mon ami - my friend

***There is no posting schedule for this! Its just gonna appear whenever my brain finishes a chapter xp**

 


	3. Chapter 3

  **3**

Alfred sat in his cubicle yawning every now and then as he stared at his data screen. He was working through reports from the raid and trying to think of new ways to handle them. It had been a week since his run-in with Ivan, but it had just been last night when he'd seen the man in his dreams.

"—fred. Alfred."

The B-Class jumped a little at hearing his name and having to open his eyes, and saw Matthew peering into his cubicle from the side.

"Al, are you alright? Should I take you to the infirmary?"

Alfred shook his head vigorously at hearing this and yawned softly.

"No, I'm fine. I just been feeling a little more tired lately. You know me after a raid," Alfred said jokingly, and Matthew just smiled and nodded.

"Yeah that's true. They always put everyone into a slump."

Alfred agreed with his genetic brother, and just when he was going to ask if he had any plans after work Arthur popped in.

"Hey Alfred," the blonde called out as he walked over to his desk.

"Yes Arthur?"

"I need you to get me your count-on sheet for your team. The new batch is in conditioning as we speak and will be up here by tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah I have that made up somewhere," Alfred said, and he turned around to his data screen to locate the file.

Arthur waited patiently, but his attention was taken as his earpiece beeped. He pressed the button on the side of it, and what filled his ear was not what he expected.

"What," he shouted incredulously making every B-Class freeze. "Those savages. It's only been a week! ….Alright, we're going now," Arthur said sternly then turned his earpiece off. Everyone didn't make a sound as he looked at them. "The Radicals are moving in. We don't know why, or how they are able to do this after a week, but it's happening. We have to go now. Meet down by the transports," Arthur commanded, and everyone scrambled to get their things together.

Arthur moved with his B-Class subordinates to get dressed and ready to fight. He had been ordered to join them since they were so shorthanded. When they made it to the transports Arthur stood on the ramp that led into the back of a transport.

"Everyone! We don't have much men and women or time so, we have to cut them off at the city limits with everything we got. The protect/rescue B-Classes will be charged with inner city protection, but let's just hope we don't come down to that," Arthur announced, and everyone hoped for the same. Only B-Class security was conditioned to fight. "Now let's go!"

Everyone nodded, and Alfred made eye contact with his team. Everyone gave him nods, and they rushed onto a transport that quickly closed up and took off. The B-Classes made it out to the city limits just as the Radicals passed the 1000 km line. The instant the transport doors opened up, the security-field division was pouring out and taking aim as canisters of gas and smoke started sailing towards them. Arthur watched in awe for a moment at the scene before him, having not been on the field for quite some time because of his high class. Canisters of various sizes sailed through and released their smoke and gas. Gun shots were going off as the roar of outdated vehicles grew louder and louder. Shouts were drowned out, and Arthur only came out of his stupor when Alfred grabbed his arm and yanked him to cover.

"There's no time to stare Arthur," Alfred panted out behind his mask and Arthur just nodded.

The two then aimed their guns and took fire, but it seemed useless. Nothing could be seen, only heard, and every field member of S-3 City jumped as explosions went off. They weren't like the usual vehicle blowing up, no, it was bright and sparkling and made a high pitched whistle as it sailed into the sky and burst. No one knew what to make of it and started to shoot at them and run back into the city for better cover.

"Look at them scrambling away like the weak rats they are," Romano laughed out as he and his twin brother scanned the smoke with Ivan in their vehicle.

"Da, but the rat we need is not so weak."

Ivan scanned the clouds carefully then banged his hand on the vehicle, before hopping out of it and into the chaos. Romano and Feliciano kept driving and looking, leading the way into the inner city after seeing Gilbert bulldoze his way in. The farthest they ever made it was to the middle ground, the domain of C-Class citizens, but this time it was going to be different. Everyone could feel the change.

The smoke was beginning to clear, and many of the security and Radicals were now within the city in the D-Class domain. Alfred was amongst them fighting back to back with his team and Arthur. Their fighting style was working well, until a Radical vehicle started honking excessively as it drove towards them. Little did they know, the honking meant what the Radicals were searching for had been found. The vehicle drove right through them, making them scatter, then moved and singled out Alfred. The honey blonde frantically tried to get out of the way, and only succeeded when he dove into an alleyway. The honking kept going for a while longer as he picked himself up off the ground, but once it stopped he soon found he wasn't alone.

"I have found you moy dorogoy," came a haunting voice.

Alfred turned around with his gun at the ready as he saw Ivan standing before him.

"Ivan Braginsky, we meet again," Alfred spat out.

Ivan had a smile come to his face at hearing his name.

"Oh it seems you have found me out da? No matter, I came to ask something of you."

Alfred stared at Ivan in complete confusion at hearing this, but kept his gun up.

"Whatever it is, I don't want any part of it!"

"Oh, but I think you do. See, don't you ever feel like you should be more than what you are? Don't you ever want to explore the unknown, the _forbidden_ ," Ivan said in a low tone that made Alfred shiver.

"N-No. No," Alfred repeated more sternly. "Why would I want to go against the laws? I would never do such a thing!"

Ivan smirked at hearing this and moved a step closer to Alfred.

"But you already have, or do you not recall the kiss we shared." Alfred froze at hearing this and Ivan advanced. "Did you find it disgusting, shocking, or perhaps…interesting?" Alfred found himself thinking yes without hesitation. "You could explore that and more if you help me, Alfred," Ivan said, still in a low tone. Alfred flinched at realizing that Ivan was now close enough to where his gun dug into his chest. "Dorogoy, don't you want to be more than just a B-Class in security?"

Alfred found himself furrowing his brow at this, and wondered if that was all he ever wanted to be, but the instant he thought it he corrected his thinking.

"NO! 'B-Class is the greatest class! Our—'"

"'—job is to help others. Helping others is our role'," Ivan finished and Alfred just stared at him in shock. "Yes, yes, but Alfred how can you help a world that needs no help. Isn't your purpose pointless when your precious Givers control everything?" Ivan questioned. "If it wasn't for Radicals you wouldn't even have this "purpose"."

"That's, that's not…"

Alfred trailed off as he tried to think, but his brain seemed to be going a mile a minute. The screaming and shouting from his teammates and Radicals was not helping. The explosions were chaotic to his ears and Ivan Braginsky being so close to him was overwhelming. Alfred didn't know what to do, and he could feel his gun being lowered and Ivan's body getting closer. The man towered over him as Alfred looked up to see amused violets looking down. Ivan put a gloved hand to his cheek, which made him flinch from the touch, but he couldn't go anywhere. Ivan had a firm hand on his waist and he tilted Alfred's head to an angle, and Alfred found himself expecting a kiss, which Ivan gladly gave.

As appalling as that was, it was true, and with the shame of knowing what he was doing as a citizen from Grand Haven, Alfred accepted Ivan's kiss. His body burned from the kiss and everything in his mind told him to stop, to turn his head and vomit, but he stayed. Even as the nauseous feeling built up he stayed, and once the kiss ended he found himself sick to his stomach, yet light as a cloud, it was a strange feeling. He didn't understand why, but there was something about Ivan that got under his skin. Something that made him bend a little in what he knew as the wrong direction.

Alfred's hazy blue eyes looked at Ivan as he said something, but he didn't register it. All he could think of was how someone who wasn't genetically engineered could be so captivating. But if Alfred hadn't been in such a shocked state he would have heard Ivan state he was taking him, would have heard someone come up behind him, would have noticed Arthur and Kyle at the alleyway opening. The only thing out of all of these happenings that he registered was the searing pain to his head as he was hit with something. His vision blurred, then went out completely as he fell into Ivan's arms. The man smirked happily as he held his unconscious Alfred.

"Good hit Eliza."

"Thank you, but we better go. Company is coming," she stated, and pointed to Arthur and Kyle yelling and running for them.

Ivan nodded and smirked at the furious men running towards them, before running off with Eliza down the alley. They hopped into her awaiting vehicle and took off blaring her horn in a certain fashion. Yao heard this and nodded to Lee, who quickly understood and set up their biggest firework. He lit it and covered his ears as it shot up and burst. A blast that sounded like a bomb going off ripped through the air, and a shower of purple sparks rained down over S-3 City. Gilbert and his bulldozing crew saw the signal and moved to pull back from the inner city. The Radicals poured out of S-3 more easily than they had poured in.

As they raced back over the 1000 km line, Ivan took a scanner from his pocket and ran it over the left side of Alfred's neck. The scanner indicated the chip located there, and effectively terminated it before his vehicle crossed the line. Alfred was now off the grid, lost to his city. Alfred was his.

* * *

**Translations:**

Moy / dorogoy - My / darling


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

 When Alfred felt his mind bring forth his consciousness at a rushed pace, he snapped his eyes open then immediately shut them. He slapped a hand to his face, covering his tired eyes to protect them from the burning sunlight. The effects of his recurring nightmare faded away, as he tried to hide from the light. He succeeded by burying his face in the thin fabric that laid around him.

"My head," he hissed out, as he felt a dull throbbing pain in the back of his head.

He found a bump located over the pain, and he groaned and buried himself more in the thin fabric. Alfred soon started to calm down, and with each breath he took he could feel sleep coming back over him. He was going to welcome it, but in a half-asleep state his mind was starting to conjure up the mysterious haunting violet eyes. They burned him to his soul, and he opened his tired eyes, not wanting to deal with his wild mind.

 _'I should go to the infirmary,'_ he thought as he focused his eyes on the wall before him. _'Huh?'_

Alfred furrowed his brow as he realized the wall he was staring at wasn't painted a calming powder blue. The wall in front of him was painted red, but had faded, taking on a maroon color. It chipped in some places and revealed a grey wall underneath. As he stared at this oddly colored wall he had a memory flash through his mind and he quickly sat up, but his quick movements made him disoriented. His vision swam as he became light headed and collapsed back on the bed clutching his head. As he laid there his head throbbed persistently as his memory from the raid rushed to be front and center. Fighting with his team, running for his life, and then running into _him_. Ivan having singled him out and tried getting into his head.

_'"Yes, yes, but Alfred how can you help a world that needs no help. Isn't your purpose pointless when your precious Givers control everything?"'_

That line was the most prominent out of the other's Ivan had said to him. The worst of it all was the fact Alfred had let another touch of Ivan's lips to his. He had anticipated it, he had accepted it.

Alfred felt the nausea from before and held his stomach as he tried to calm himself.

 _'Relax Alfred. Relax, so, so what if you accepted it. It was nothing, truly, besides there's more important things to worry about,'_ Alfred told himself internally. _'Yeah, more important… Where am I?'_

Alfred looked around the room he was in. It looked old and outdated, as if he stepped back into the 2500s. The wooden floor was scuffed and scratched, a closet of clothing with no doors and a dresser within, the walls held the faded red and its chipping paint, a shelving unit sat in a corner filled, and a wooden door firmly shut. Alfred's blue eyes scanned over every detail then looked to where he was sitting at. The bed was well used, and covered in layers of thin sheets and blankets, with two pillows on top. A nightstand was beside it with a glass of water (he assumed) and a lamp that was off, and to the other side of the bed was a wall with a window. It wasn't big, but a decent size and showed an early afternoon sun with people out and about. Alfred stared in shock at seeing children running about and people doing work he'd only seen a D-Class or C-Class do. Everyone wore dusty looking clothing, and the streets below looked like a ruined city.

"I need to get out of here," Alfred found himself saying, and he got off the bed.

He looked himself over first, seeing he had been stripped of his protective gear and weapons, leaving him in his uniform and field boots. He sighed at this, but moved on to get to the door, but just as he got near it the door swung inward, and a man with glasses stood before him with Ivan behind him. Alfred stared at the two wide eyed, at first caught off guard by the glasses, then at the man himself who held an outdated medical scanner. His eyes then darted to Ivan, who just smiled at him softly, but it didn't seem all that kind.

"What is going on? What did you do to me," Alfred asked sternly as he backed away from the men.

"Ah, do calm down dorogoy. Eduard is here to make sure your head is doing fine."

Alfred's stern expression faltered at the foreign words Ivan used, but came back as the man with the medical scanner was pushed into the room by Ivan. Ivan then closed the door once he was inside the room and sat down on an old chair that Alfred hadn't noticed. Alfred stared at both of them with suspicion, then backed up to the bed and pressed himself against the wall.

"I will not do any harm to you. I only need to make sure that your head is healing from the hit you took. No more no less," Eduard said calmly with a strange sound mixed in with his words.

Alfred didn't know what to make of it, but as he pressed harder into the wall the more his head seemed to hurt.

"You, you're a doctor?"

Eduard nodded, and held up his medical scanner and a hand to coax Alfred forward. The B-Class looked at the hand warily, then hissed as his head throbbed worse than before, and moved a hand to cradle it.

"You have a headache yes? I can give you something for it, but I need to scan you properly first," Eduard ensured.

Alfred looked at the man then to Ivan, who just seemed to stare at him with amusement.

 _'I might as well let him. I can't do anything like this,'_ Alfred thought bitterly.

"Fine."

Alfred shunned Eduard's hand and scooted to the edge of the bed. Eduard then set to work, his old scanner humming softly as he ran it over the back of Alfred's head and part of his neck, though Alfred didn't notice.

"You're healing well. Got to hand it to your genetics, your body is recovering quicker than any of us would have," Eduard stated, then dug into his lab coat pocket to grab a bottle of pills. "Take these and you'll feel better."

Eduard handed over two round red pills, then turned to Ivan and gave him a nod. Ivan gave a nod in return and relaxed, before waving for Eduard to leave. Eduard did as told and bid Alfred and Ivan goodbye before heading out of the room. Neither of them spoke to each other, Alfred kept his gaze on the pills in his hands, and Ivan kept his gaze on Alfred. He couldn't help but stare at the blonde and feel a little happy at accomplishing his goal. He had taken Alfred and damaged part of the inner city, overall he was proud of himself and his people.

"Staring at them will not make the pain go away," Ivan said with a bit of mirth to his voice.

Alfred glared over at Ivan and continued to make no move on taking the pills. Ivan just sighed, and got up from his chair and headed to the bed. He picked up the cup from the nightstand and held it out to Alfred.

"You drink this to take the pills, it is only water. I would assume you would know how to take them since your government keeps you all drugged."

"They do not!" Alfred spat then winced at hearing his voice raise. "They give us relaxers. They are proven to help us get through our day by keeping us stress free and focused," he finished as he rubbed his head.

Ivan just sighed and moved to cup to be in Alfred's face.

"Take the pills, they will help you. They will not harm you, I have no intention of doing so."

Alfred gave an incredulous look and Ivan just shoved the cup of water into his free hand. Alfred looked at it skeptically then sniffed it, before allowing himself to take a swig and down the pills quickly.

"Good, now are—"

"Stop," Alfred said quickly, before Ivan could say anything else. The man raised a brow at this but went silent. "What is your purpose for bringing me here? You know you can't get away with this. I will escape, or my team will find me some way," Alfred voiced firmly.

Ivan smirked at hearing this and shook his head. He moved to sit down on the bed and Alfred felt his body freeze as Ivan's leg brushed his. Those violet eyes focused in on him and Alfred tried his hardest to not look away, because if he did it would show weakness.

"Oh Alfred, they will not be finding you any time soon. I made sure of that."

Alfred gawked at hearing this and backed away from Ivan too quickly, resulting in his back crashing against the wall. He hissed from the pain, but fought through it to glare at the Radical leader.

"You killed them!?"

Ivan stared at Alfred blankly at his rash reaction, then started to chuckle as it dawned on him how his words got twisted around.

"Ah, no, no I didn't. Not all of them anyway. I merely deactivated your tracking chip. Every citizen in your "perfect world" is chipped. Besides if your team could find you then how come they didn't arrive last night? It is the next day if you haven't noticed," Ivan stated.

"You lie! The Givers would never do that!" Alfred defended unbelieving the Radical's words.

"If you do not believe me then I can surely cut out the chip for you and show you," Ivan said simply, as he placed a finger on his own neck where the chip would be if he had one.

Alfred instantly slapped a hand to the area on his neck and shook his head.

"Don't you dare come near me you filth! You are disgusting and need to be eradicated just like The Givers said. Only then will our world be at peace," Alfred declared and he clutched his cup tightly to use it as a weapon.

Ivan's amused look stayed on his face as he noticed this, and he inched closer to Alfred.

"Alfred, if I am so disgusting, then why did you let me kiss you a second time?" Ivan asked and Alfred honestly didn't know how to answer that. "And this peace you talk of is a lie. How can there be peace without freedom? Do you remember what I said to you before I kissed you yesterday?"

Alfred didn't say a word to Ivan, just keeping himself as far as possible from the man. Alfred was nearly backed into the corner as Ivan inched closer and closer to him. He found himself looking all around Ivan, in an effort to not look at his face, and bit his lip as Ivan waited for his answer. Ivan kept his smirk on his face; he knew that Alfred remembered.

"Mmm, it seems you do remember, but I will say it anyway. Don't you want to be more than just a B-Class in security? Your so-called life purpose is pointless. How can you help a world that needs no help due to The Givers controlling everything?"

Alfred found himself getting that strange feeling of doubt like he had the day before. Never had he thought about this, and the more he did the more it seemed he had no life purpose.

_'Do I really not matter…?'_

When this floated through his head Alfred snapped out of his doubtful state and glared at Ivan.

"No, my life purpose is to help, and that means getting rid of you and all the Radicals that target S-3 City!"

Ivan gave a scoff to that and leaned out of Alfred's space.

"Stubborn. If it wasn't for me you'd have no purpose," Ivan said firmly, and Alfred felt his resolve faltering again. "Come, let me show you something," Ivan said as he got off the bed and held out his hand.

"What?" Alfred asked, not making a move to get off the bed.

"We must go on a walk for you to see it."

Alfred looked at Ivan still on edge, then to the hand held out to him.

_'Might as well amuse him. Besides the more I know the more I can tell when I get rescued or escape. Yeah, a walk would allow me to plan out an escape route.'_

With this thought in mind Alfred nodded his head and reached to take Ivan's hand, but stopped short. He felt his heart pounding at realizing what he almost did and retracted his hand, but Ivan snatched it and pulled him to his feet. Alfred felt like his hand was on fire in Ivan's hand even though it felt cooler than his own.

"W-What are you going to show me," Alfred asked again as he tried to distract himself from the hot feeling creeping up his arm.

Ivan let out a soft breath as he opened the bedroom door.

"Life."

* * *

**Translations:**

Dorogoy – darling

***Mmm I wasn't going to post this just yet, but I'm bored waiting to head back to college so here it is!* Still MORE to come! Reviews welcomed!***


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: I EDITED ALMOST EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING FROM CHAPS 1-11 HAS BEEN EDITED!

  **5**

Alfred darted his eyes anywhere and everywhere as he and Ivan left the room. Alfred found himself clinging to Ivan's hand as he descended the rickety wooden stairs, afraid he'd fall through. He noticed pictures of scenery from a world long since gone lined the stairwell, and once they were on the first floor, Alfred couldn't keep the look of intrigue and disgust from his face. To his right was a front room of sorts filled with faded and old furniture, a fraying rug under a coffee table, and in front of the table was a fireplace. A large window provided the only natural light, but a ceiling light fixture was present. Passed the living room was an archway to the kitchen, which he could only tell by sounds of cooking from inside it. Everything looked old, faded, and dirty, even though it looked like someone put in a lot of effort to clean.

"This is my home, but I can show you it properly after the walk. Come," Ivan said simply and moved for the front door just ahead.

Alfred could only follow and looked with the same look of intrigue as he saw the world outside the home. There wasn't any paved roads, street lights, transports, skyscrapers, or genetically identical people. There was nothing that could even be similar to S-3 City, or any of the main eight cities. The roads were mostly dirt, a few scraps of pavement here and there, and animals that Alfred had only read about. Houses and shops dotted the area and people in dull clothing moved about either on foot, bicycles, or the vehicles Alfred had seen plowing through during raids. Not a single one of them looked remotely alike, none of them looked normal.

"How can you live like this?" Alfred questioned softly.

Ivan looked down to Alfred, then moved forward as he began to speak.

"This is life Alfred. We have worked for what we need, gowning it, and making it. We do not, or will we ever, need a class system like your world. Everyone works the job they want, no one has to be restricted. We are free Alfred. Free to choose for ourselves," Ivan stated.

Alfred took this in as he looked around himself. Everyone had so many imperfections from glasses to missing teeth. The genetic screening done to make a perfect embryo prevented even the smallest of genetic errors, like allergies and impaired vision. The people stared back at Alfred, amazed by seeing a Grand Haven World citizen in their midst. Some even made their children get away as he and Ivan passed them. Alfred didn't like the feeling of being stared at so intensely by them, but Ivan didn't seemed bothered. He greeted his people as if it was any other day.

"If what you say is true, then your violence must be high as well," Alfred said.

"Mmm, we have our share of crimes now and then, but that is just part of life Alfred. It's part of feeling emotion."

"We feel," Alfred counted as he led through the streets of the Radical's city.

Ivan only shook his head, and moved then to step behind old debris that had greenery growing over it. Ivan moved to take Alfred's other hand, and squeezed both gently as he looked right into his eyes.

"Alfred you feel, but do not truly understand how deep a feeling can run. For example, love."

"Love?"

"Da, it is an amazing emotion. You feel warm, nice, and your heart flutters every time you think of the person or thing you love. It fills you with content, and there are no boundaries. Unlike your world were only one man and one woman can be together, here, that does not apply. You can be with someone of the same gender, no gender; with groups of people, just the one, or no one at all. It doesn't matter as long as you love each other."

"That's, that's disgusting," Alfred said with shock clearly on his face.

Ivan just rolled his eyes and moved to be nose to nose with Alfred. The honey blonde instantly felt himself tense and the nauseous feeling come up. He found himself running his tongue over his bottom lip as Ivan stared at him, and he felt that strange feeling as he had before. His body grew hot under his gaze and Alfred didn't know what to make of it. He had the instinct to pull away, but Ivan's invading gaze had him rooted to the ground.

"W-What are you doing?!" Alfred asked nervously as Ivan seemed to study him.

"Absolutely nothing. Why do you ask?" Ivan inquired with a smirk coming to his lips.

Ivan could plainly see what emotion was on Alfred's face. The B-Class had no idea what he was going on inside him and didn't know how to hide it from his face. Alfred felt like he was going to throw up or faint by how close Ivan was. He could smell nature and musk on him that had a shiver go through him. His mind was once again shouting at him to do something, but his body was defying it by staying put. Alfred tried to question himself because of this, but his mind went blank as Ivan's lips brushed against his. It wasn't a kiss, just a graze of lips, then it was gone. Alfred opened his eyes, to his surprise, and found Ivan standing at a reasonable distance from him with just one hand holding his. A sense of dissatisfaction arose in Alfred from noticing this.

"Did you feel it?" Ivan asked already knowing the answer.

Alfred felt his face heat up quickly as he tried to think of an answer. So many things was going through his head, and messing with his thinking. In the end he could only say, "I, I don't know…"

Ivan gave a hum to this, then moved to pull Alfred back onto the dirt road and walk further into the little city.

"You will figure it out soon enough. You may be genetically screened and conditioned, but I know you still have a bit of humanity in you, I hope," Ivan said adding a teasing tone.

Alfred just huffed at him and turned his gaze to the ground, as he felt his still racing heart in his chest.

_'Get it together. Don't let him get in your head,'_ Alfred thought as he tried to calm himself. _'Get information to take back home already!'_ With this set as a goal Alfred spoke up.

"S-So, what do you do to… keep living?" Alfred asked, not really sure if he worded his question right.

Ivan raised a brow at hearing this then smiled softly.

"Living is what everyone did before the war, and it is what we do now. We have a past, a culture that defines us as us. We procreate whenever and however we want. We breathe, we laugh, we play, we work; we just live Alfred. We have a life purpose, and that is to see another day that's brighter than the last," Ivan said with enthusiasm in his voice that captivated Alfred. "Everyone, at some point, has or had a mother and father, a brother and sister, family. No one is alike, not even the twins that do come into this world grow up to be alike."

Alfred stared at Ivan with no words to use. Never had he heard of such things, not even the textbooks he read as a child held anything like a concept of culture, a past, a family.

No one in Grand Haven had a family, unless you counted the people you shared genes with during the creation process. There wasn't a past for them either, anything that happened before The Givers was vaguely written in pages of a textbook that only talked of the Radical years and the ending of WWV. The Givers had ordered the burning of any and all reading material in order to 'look towards the future'. In Alfred's generation of genetic siblings they had no clue about what a book was; only data screens that were called textbooks were handed to them. There wasn't any literature, journals, newspapers, nothing of that kind in their world. Just a clear screen that gave them pep talks when needed, information on local events, and good news (except for raids, but even then it was always vague).

"Ivan…What is culture?"

Ivan paused mid-step at hearing this question, and Alfred found himself asking why he even asked such a thing.

"Do you really wish to know?"

Alfred furrowed his brow at this, questioning himself, but he gave a slow nod.

"Well we must go somewhere if I am to explain properly."

With that Ivan set off to a building that looked more intact than the other's around the little city. Alfred kept up with him and when they walked inside, pushing in a heavy wooden door, Alfred was faced with shelving units. Hundreds of them were lined around the large room and filled sparsely with rectangular objects that weren't data screens.

"What is this place?"

"It's a library. It isn't much, most of these books are too old to even stay together. We found a lower level to this building during a scavenge, and found a heavily sealed room with these within," Ivan said gesturing to the books and took one off a shelf.

He then led them to a nice spot out and sat down on the ground. Alfred was skeptical at first, but got down when Ivan pulled on his hand. Once he was seated Ivan gave Alfred the book.

"' _Sleepy Hollow_ '," Alfred read as he looked at the plain cover. He stared at the book with interest and turned it over in his hands many times, before opening it and seeing that paper was inside of it.

"This book is a classic. I enjoy it myself," Ivan commented as Alfred read the first page then flipped it over.

"So, this is culture?"

"Nyet, only part of it. Culture is books, music, roots. Roots are where you come from. For me, my family, we are Russian. We come from a place once called Russia. A country from eons ago that had nearly never ending winters and people who talked like I do, dorogoy."

Alfred found himself amazed by this information.

"So, your voice sounds like that because you speak whatever your culture speaks?"

"In a sense, and it is called Russian, and I have an accent. Unlike your world all of you speak one language, with no variations in pronunciation or usage. Even your slang is not that creative."

Alfred just gave an "oh" to this and looked down at the book in his hands. For some odd reason as he sat there, and breathed in the air that smelled of yellow pages and weak bindings, he felt, content. He, a B-Class taken against his will to a dirty radical city, sitting on the ground of a place that should not be standing, was relaxed.

"Would you like to stay here awhile? There's more to see, but I don't mind," Ivan said as he noticed how calm Alfred looked.

"Uh, I…No, no it's fine," Alfred drawled, then got up from the floor.

Ivan gave a skeptical look, but got to his feet as well. Alfred gave him the book back, and he put it back as they left the library. They walked in silence, only listening to everything around them. Ivan smiled as he could tell that Alfred was really listening to the sounds of the little city. The shouts and talking, kids playing, birds singing, dogs barking, vehicles driving by. Alfred had to admit that it wasn't even this loud when in S-3 City, it felt nice.

_'Nice… I must be losing my mind if I think this place is nicer than S-3,'_ Alfred thought, then moved his hand to scratch the back of his neck. It was then he realized Ivan wasn't holding his hand, and he found that to be disappointing for some reason. He dropped his hand and glanced over to Ivan. He saw the Russian looking relaxed and amused, which Alfred thought that he looked nice with a genuine smile. _'Wait, no, no I don't… I, I just… I don't know…'_

Ivan seemed to pick up on Alfred's distress and looked over to see him with his head down.

"Are you alright Alfred?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm just fine," Alfred stated and looked ahead once more.

Ivan narrowed his eyes at the response and moved to stand in front of Alfred; effectively blocking his path.

"Alfred?" Ivan reiterated more sternly and looked at the blonde.

Alfred just stared back then felt something in him cave. Those haunting violet eyes seemed even more intense than in his dreams.

"I, I just don't know, alright. I, my whole life it has just been me doing what I needed to do, my life purpose, but you. You talk of these, these things that I've only read about in textbooks, and when you touch me I, I feel so strange. I, —" Alfred cut himself off and buried his face into his hands. "This is too much for me. Please, just, just let me go back home. I'll face reconditioning without complaint," Alfred cried out.

Ivan furrowed his brow as he looked at Alfred.

_'I guess I pushed him too hard. Eduard told me that even as a B-Class he could only handle so much, and added with the daily drugs he'd get back home…'_

Ivan sighed as he saw Alfred collapse to the dirt road with his face hidden behind his hands.

_'I'm just a B-Class. I'm not meant for this. I'm just average. I can't be anything more. I shouldn't act the way I do with this Radical. I should have put up a fight when he kissed me.'_

Ivan moved to scoop Alfred off the ground and carry him across his arms. He didn't say a word as he carried Alfred down the road as the sun was beginning to set.

"Alfred, take a moment to breathe. Deep breaths, and think less of what you was made for. I took you because I wanted you to help me bring down The Givers, but that isn't the only reason. I won't tell why just yet though," Ivan said simply, and moved to get away from the roadside to go out into the field lining the road. Alfred tensed as he felt the tall stalks of grass brush his legs as Ivan carried him off rode, and Ivan tightened his grip in an assuring way. "Alfred, I'm going to set you down, and I just want you to look at this."

Alfred didn't say anything, but he understood what Ivan said, for he supported himself once on his feet. He moved to sit down on the grass as Ivan did so himself, and looked up to see the sun setting in the horizon. Alfred found his breath had been taken away as he looked at the colorful sky before him with a yellow-orange sun now a semi-circle. He'd never seen a sunset before. Not even in the city, because the skyscrapers blocked it out and he never bothered to look up.

"If you think this is amazing just wait a little longer," commented Ivan softly.

Alfred didn't reply, but he waited, and as the sun disappeared new things appeared in its place. White dots arrived one by one it seemed, and in tow was the moon, showing off brightly in the night sky. As the darkness grew over them so did the stars, and Alfred was awestruck by the sight. He tried to crane his neck far enough to see everything, and ended up falling back, but didn't mind it. Ivan chuckled at how taken Alfred was with the scenery above, and leaned back to enjoy the view as well. Since the Radical's city wasn't too big the light from it didn't blur out the stars like they did in S-3. Alfred had never seen or heard about them before. He found himself desperately wanting to reach out and touch one the glowing dots.

"What are they?" Alfred asked in a hushed voice, as he looked above in astonishment.

"Stars. The moon is over there, and that cloud going through the sky is the galaxy we live in," Ivan said as he pointed to the objects he spoke of.

"Galaxy?"

"Da, there is a book in my home about it."

For the first time since Alfred woke up in this Old World; he freely admitted to himself that he liked being there.

* * *

**Translations:**

Da/Nyet - Yes/No

Dorogoy - Darling

***With help from the Speak Feature on Word and Orang3lover (tumblr), I've made some minor edits to the previous chapters just to make the story more smooth! The story's still the same, just fixed up the grammar and spelling ^J^***

**XX**

**EDIT: MADE MAJOR EDITS TO CHAPTERS 1-10!!**


	6. Chapter 6

  **6**

Word of S-3 City being raided as badly as it had, had spread like wildfire throughout the Grand Haven World.

The devastation had taken a small amount of D and C-Class lives, and a large amount of B-Class lives. The route the Radicals had plowed through was damaged extensively, but the inner city was the worst. There wasn't a single building that didn't have some sort of damage to it, whether it be as simple as a few cracks and broken windows, or as bad as a wall blown out or part of the building collapsed. S-3 City was in shambles, and its B-Class citizens were no better.

Every one of them that had been out that day, had become badly injured or had died. The B-Class was so small in numbers it would technically be labeled endangered. The Creation Building had suffered from the raid, thus the B-Classes meant to arrive to security didn't make it. Some did, but not many. Though with all of this, the worst of it was one of their own had been taken.

Arthur and Kyle had witnessed it and had tried to save Alfred, but failed. They had reported it the instant the Radicals had left, and The Givers had not said a word on the subject. They only dismissed Arthur and told him to do his job.

"'S-Class is the best class. Our job is to keep order. Our role is to keep peace.'"

Arthur mumbled his purpose, as he stared unseeing at the data screen in his hand. He was supposed to be filing reports, checking B-Class field members, and a number of other things, but he couldn't.

"It's been two days," he said tiredly.

A soft knock brought him from his unpleasant mood, and he looked up to see Matthew at his door. He waved him in, and turned off his data screen as the man took a seat in front of his desk.

"Have you heard anything yet?" Matthew asked anxiously.

Arthur knew exactly what the blonde was asking about and shook his head.

"No, they haven't said a word about it, and it's basically been two days since Alfred was taken."

Matthew lowered his head at hearing this, and Arthur could tell he was hurt by the news.

"Matthew, I'm trying, but you know how it is. Even though I am an S-Class there is only so much I can do. And it doesn't make it any better that the city is a mess, and the B-Class is—"

"I get it," Matthew said sharply, which he hadn't meant to do. His blue-violet eyes grew wide at the irritation coming over him. He knew he was irritated, but what he was feeling now felt more than that, but he didn't know what to call it. Nonetheless he calmed himself as Arthur stared at him in shock. "Ah, sorry, sorry, it's just. I miss him. Alfred is my brother, truly, to me, and… I just want him back."

Arthur sighed at hearing this and nodded.

"I understand completely. How about you go take a break. You've been working a lot, and you seem in need of the relaxers."

Matthew merely nodded and got up from the chair.

"Good bye Arthur," he said tiredly as he walked out of the room.

The S-Class gave a nod and watched Matthew go, then went back to his work. He had finally managed to get through one document when his earpiece beeped. When he turned it on the voice coming through was not what he expected.

_"I need you to come to the Control Building."_

"Right away," Arthur said without hesitation, then ended the call when The Giver hung up.

The blonde hurriedly got his things together, and left the floor at a rushed pace. The B-Classes on the floor watched him with curiosity, as he got into the elevator and left. When Arthur exited the elevator, he had a C-Class at the front desk send an S-Class to his floor to watch over it while he was out. He then hurried to the garage level and found his transport amongst the others. All civilian transports were shaped like semi-circles that hovered. The only things that made them different was the limited range of colors and plate numbers. Arthur slipped into his own, a dark blue one, and quickly drove it out into the streets and headed for the Control Building.

It only took minutes for him to arrive and he, as calmly as possible, rushed in. He checked in, then was led to the top floor with an S-Class escorting him. Only the S-Classes could work in the Control Building, and B-Class Security could only guard it from the outside.

Once Arthur made it to the top floor, the elevator opened up to a large room that held a table and chair in the center. Beyond that was a curved table with eight people sitting at it, and a wall of glass providing natural light.

"S-Class Arthur Kirkland, Commissioner of Security-Field Division," Arthur recited monotone.

The Givers nodded to him and Arthur moved to take his seat at the table. The Givers, a group of eight figures, four women and four men, none alike, and their name the same. Their eight faces showed various years of age, but all held the same blank look.

"As you know the city is an unbelievable disaster due to the Radicals," reported The Giver on the far left.

"We do not blame you for this, you did your best with so few B-Classes to work with," commented the Giver in the fifth seat.

"We will put forth our best efforts to get as many D-Classes working on construction, and A-Classes working on conditioning new B-classes," ensured The Giver on the far right.

"But this process with take some time, and that is something we do not have. We must finally put an end to the Radicals," stated firmly the third Giver.

The Givers gave a nod in agreement and Arthur nodded along.

"Arthur, we will lend you B-Classes from other field divisions to take care of the filth in the unsalvageable lands."

"You will lead them with other S-Classes to search for the Radical's city in Old World, and get rid of it."

"Their city might be undetectable just like their vehicles when they cross the line, so you need to rely on your eyes greatly."

Arthur nodded in understanding, then raised his hand to ask a question. The Giver in the second seat acknowledged him, and he rose from his chair.

"Givers, I will endeavor to fulfill this mission no matter the cost, but… What of Alfred Jones, the B-Class that was taken? If I am searching for the Radicals then I can surely—"

"Alfred Jones," The Giver in the sixth seat drawled. The rest of the Givers hummed at this and looked down at the data screens they had on their table. "If you happen to find him, recover him if he is still living."

Arthur nodded his head at this, but remained standing. The Givers noticed this and asked for him to explain why.

"I, well…When I recover him what should I do with him?" Arthur asked.

He wanted to know what The Givers had planned for Alfred, whether he was to let him recover in the hospital, reconditioned, or both.

"You will not need to worry about that. When, and _if_ , you recover the B-Class he will be handle swiftly," stated The Giver in the fourth seat.

Arthur nodded at the answer.

"Now go and brief your subordinates. The other B-Classes will arrive in two days from the other seven cities."

Arthur nodded again, then turned and left the room quickly. He found himself worrying deeply for his friend, but didn't show it until he was back in his transport. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in once the door to his transport closed. He rested his head back on the seat then buried his face in his hands.

"I don't like this," he said aloud.

The moment he said that a simple smiley face appeared on his windshield.

_"Good afternoon Arthur. You seem distressed, perhaps a relaxer can help."_

When the smiley face stopped talking a small drawer popped out, and showed the soft blue pills within. Arthur sighed and took two, then watched the drawer close. He moved to take the relaxers, but stopped. He stared at the pills, then up to the smiley face that had disappeared from his windshield.

_'I don't like this,'_ he muttered internally, then moved to put the pills in his pocket.

He started up his transport then drove back to the Security Building. The whole way there, he kept himself as calm as possible as he thought about what The Givers had told him.

_'To hunt and eradicate the filth in Old World is fine, but Alfred… My word, I hope he's alright. I hope he will_ be _alright when I bring him back.'_

Arthur didn't like it that The Givers avoided his questions on what they wanted him to do with Alfred. He saw the B-Class as a dear friend and he didn't want to lose him. He didn't understand why he felt so uneasy about what The Givers had said. He usually did not question a thing, but for some reason, he worried what they would do with Alfred when he got him back.

_'Maybe I'm like this because I didn't take the relaxers,'_ Arthur thought as he pulled in the Security Building garage.

When he parked he took the pills out of his pocket, but then put them back. For some intangible reason he felt he should be worried, that his doubt was right. He wasn't one to ignore such strong feelings during a raid, and he wasn't going to do so now.

_'Whatever is going to happen…I will deal with it, for Alfred.'_

With that in mind Arthur got out of his transport and headed into his building. When he got to his floor the S-Class in his place left without saying a word, and Arthur stood in front of his office.

_'An S-Class is supposed to keep order and peace.'_

"Everyone, meet in the briefing room now."


	7. Chapter 7

  **7**

  _"Yes, yes, but Alfred how can you help a world that needs no help. Isn't your purpose pointless when your precious Givers control everything?" "If it wasn't for Radicals you wouldn't even have this "purpose"."_

_'Do I really not matter…?'_

_"Alfred, if I am so disgusting, then why did you let me kiss you a second time?"_

_'The taste, and feel of you is still there.'_

_"Alfred you feel, but do not truly understand how deep a feeling can run. For example, love."_

_"You can be with someone of the same gender, no gender; with groups of people, just the one, or no one at all. It doesn't matter as long as you love each other."_

_'Your violet eyes haunt me, just like your kiss.'_

_"Did you feel it?"_

_'I-I—'_

_"Did you feel it?"_

_"Did you feel it?"_

_'I-I don't know!'_

Alfred opened his eyes quickly as a startled gasp escaped his lips. He breathed raggedly as he realized he had only been dreaming, and took a deep breath to calm himself. He covered his face with his hands, and rolled over to put his back to the sunlight coming in from the window. Alfred didn't know what to make of his dream, and tried not to think back on it.

He had only been with Ivan for three days, and it seemed he was effecting Alfred's thinking every second. The conflicting thoughts and doubt that sprung up the past two days had haunted him in his dreams. Yesterday had been another tour through parts of Ivan's city, and he constantly made Alfred question things he should never question. The Russian had even made several moves to kiss Alfred that day, but never completed the action, always leaving Alfred confused, disappointed, and nauseous.

Alfred sighed deeply, and pulled his hands from his face. He looked around the room he was kept in, and found something odd just a ways from him. Ivan stood to the side of the closet shirtless, and was zipping up a pair of black pants. Alfred found himself staring at the man; he could see scars and light bruising covering Ivan's torso, even his neck holding one large scar. Alfred felt a fluttery feeling occur in his stomach at seeing this, the need to touch made itself known, and he quickly adverted his eyes.

"W-What are you doing?"

Ivan gave a hum to this question, then turned to look at Alfred's blushing face.

"Good morning Alfred. I see you have recovered from your nightmare," he said simply, a smirk coming to his face.

"H-How do you know about that?" questioned Alfred, as he sat up on his bed.

"Because I saw you having it. I thought to wake you, but then you woke up by yourself, so I let you be."

Alfred gave a mumbled "oh", and lowered his head feeling embarrassed. Ivan kept his smirk in place, then moved to rummage through the closet. This action caught Alfred's attention, and he reiterated his previous question.

"I am changing Alfred. This is my bedroom after all, but does seeing my body disturb you?" Ivan asked as he picked out a shirt.

Alfred felt his face heating up at the question and shook his head quickly. He tried desperately to keep his eyes from looking at the other man. He couldn't help but want to stare at Ivan's bare chest, never had he seen scars on a human, and he had an odd interest in seeing what Ivan looked like. He knew that Ivan was strong, but seeing him without a shirt backed up the fact greatly.

"Are you sure," Ivan asked as he held onto the tan shirt, and started to move closer to Alfred. The B-Class nodded again, and Ivan kept getting closer. "I don't think you are," Ivan said calmly, as he stood before Alfred shirtless. He knew he might be overdoing it, but seeing Alfred so flustered was too good to pass up. "Do you, perhaps, find me disgusting, or maybe attractive?"

The Radical leaned into Alfred's space, and he instantly tried to inch back. Ivan had a laugh escape him as he noticed this, then backed away from Alfred. His eyes stayed on Alfred as he did so, and caught a look of disappointment and confusion flash across his face.

_'So easy to tease, and so poor at hiding emotions.'_

Ivan let out a sigh as he thought this, and slipped on his clean shirt. He thought of just leaving things as they were, but had a change of heart, and moved forward to steal a kiss. Alfred stayed still as he watched Ivan move in, his blue eyes darting to Ivan's pale lips as they got closer to him. The nauseous anxious feeling worked its way through Alfred quickly as Ivan got closer.

 _'Is he going to do it this time?'_ Alfred found himself thinking.

His heart was beating so loudly, he thought Ivan could hear it as the man's lips brushed his. The B-Classes' breath hitched, and he absentmindedly moved forward slightly, making Ivan smile. A hair's width was what remained between them; Alfred sickeningly expecting, and Ivan teasingly patient.

_'I wonder if I can get him to kiss me first.'_

Ivan's amusement from their situation was cut short however, as the bedroom door opened. The Russian turned his head to the side to see his little sister walking in. Alfred found his eyes traveling to the younger sibling, having seen her once when he and Ivan finished star gazing the first night. The younger sibling just stared at Ivan and Alfred on the bed, not moving an inch or saying a word.

"What is it Natalia?"

Natalia blinked slowly at hearing her name, then focused solely on her brother.

"Breakfast is ready," she reported, before leaving the room.

Ivan sighed at her behavior, and stood from the bed.

"Is something wrong?" Alfred asked.

Ivan shook his head and rubbed his neck, which reminded him he hadn't put his scarf back on.

"It's fine. Natalia just has a very…strong personality, I guess you could say," Ivan stated, as he picked up his scarf and wrapped it around his neck. "Come, let's eat before it gets cold," Ivan suggested, as he held out his hand.

Alfred nodded his head, and took the hand offered without thinking as he got off the bed. They headed down the stairs where the usual children could be seen eating and talking in the front room. They walked past them and into the kitchen, where four plates were set on a wooden table surrounded by mismatched chairs. Ivan's two sisters were already occupying half of them.

"Ah, good morning Vanya, Alfred," Katyusha said with a smile as she got up to hug her brother.

Ivan returned the greeting while Alfred gave a simple "Good morning", then took his seat between Ivan and Katyusha. The breakfast was made of scrambled eggs, bread, sausage, and fried potatoes. Alfred felt his mouth water at the smell of it, but his gut churn slightly at the smell of the grease. He had come to find that the food in the Radical City was unlike anything in S-3 City, or any city within Grand Haven. In Alfred's world food was healthy, light, and simple. There wasn't anyone that was overweight in his world, which was a complete opposite of the Radical City. When he had eaten their food for the first time, he had devoured it like a starved child, but it had all come right back up. His body had rejected the meal, unused to the strange flavors and ingredients.

"I think this will be gentler on your stomach than before," Katyusha pointed out as Alfred stared at the food.

Alfred nodded his head and picked up his fork to start eating, but used a little more restraint than previously. As breakfast progressed, Ivan and his sisters talked about the base and any news using their native tongue. Alfred ate in silence, feeling content at just listening to the strange words flow around him. He felt his heart beat a little faster as he heard Ivan talking in his strange language. He didn't understand why Ivan's speech affected him, but it got him to thinking of the culture the Radical had spoken of. The concept of culture and its many aspects; the past that it came with. Alfred found himself longing for the smell of old books, as he recalled how Ivan explained culture. He was longing to sit contently on a cold floor with Ivan beside him.

 _'What is happening to me?'_ Alfred questioned himself.

He knew he should be finding a way to get back to his city, or at least getting information out of Ivan, but he was failing at both. All he had been doing was listening to everything Ivan had to say, and expecting _certain_ things he shouldn't be.

 _'It's the third day that I've been here… Maybe I'll just be stuck here with him…I am just a B-Class, Matthew could take my place easily… If, I did go back…'_ Alfred let his train of thought fade as he knew what would happen. He'd be reconditioned, and that would mean he'd forget all about Ivan. The idea of forgetting the man made his chest ache, and he put a hand to it. _'What is happening to me?'_

"—fred. Alfred?"

Alfred snapped out of his thoughts, giving a questioning look, as he noticed Ivan was staring at him.

"I asked if you was alright."

"Oh, yeah, just… thinking," Alfred said simply, and looked down at his plate seeing it was empty. "Um, can we go to the library today?" he asked as he set down his fork.

Ivan raised a brow at hearing this, but nodded his head.

"I do not see why not."

With that Ivan stood from the table, thanking his older sister for the meal. Alfred thanked her as well, and took Ivan's hand as they left the house. They walked in silence, just listening to the city noise and the sound of their feet on the gravel. When they reached the desired building Ivan let Alfred step in first. Alfred found himself relaxing as he took in the stale air. He felt almost as good as he would be if he had taken relaxers back home.

He picked up a random book from its shelf, and moved to sit where Ivan had him sit the first time they came to the library. Ivan followed behind him and sat down with a book of his own. Ivan, however, didn't open his book, preferring to just watch Alfred. The B-Class held his book delicately, running his hands over the worn-out hardcover, then gently touching the yellowed pages within. Alfred was captivated by the pages, but stopped reading as he came across a word.

_'Love.'_

He paused as he read this word, recalling what Ivan had said on the emotion. He moved his blue eyes to glance at Ivan, who was still watching him, and felt his heart race as their eyes met. He looked back to his book and tried to read on, but the more he did the more the pages spoke of the character in love. The words seemed to mimic the nauseous feelings he would experience when Ivan got too close to him.

"Are you alright? You look sick."

Ivan's voice broke through Alfred's mind, and he looked up. Alfred swallowed thickly to calm his heart and stomach, then nodded his head.

"I'm fine, just…Tell me what love is again," Alfred said quickly, acting as if he was ripping off a painful bandage.

Ivan's violet eyes widened at the request, and a warm feeling settled in his chest. He found himself smiling softly, and moved to take Alfred's book from his hands. He placed it beside him with his own, and sat directly in front of Alfred. They sat pretzel style, their knees bumping together, and Ivan took both of Alfred's hands in his own. Ivan didn't do anything further, and in no time Alfred had a dusting of pink coming to his face.

"You feel that?" Ivan asked as he searched Alfred's face.

"F-Feel what?"

Ivan rubbed his thumb on the back of Alfred's hands as his smile grew.

"That feeling of warmth in your chest, fluttering in your stomach, your burning face, your racing heart?"

Alfred thought about it and nodded his head sheepishly.

"Is, is that love?" Alfred asked tentatively.

"Sort of. It can lead to love if you let it. Love is complicated, and can't really be explained Alfred. When you like something, don't you get happy just to see it?"

Alfred nodded his head at this question.

"Yeah, whenever I had a rough day at work I'm always happy to see my bed."

Ivan chuckled at this response.

"Da, when you love someone, or something, you're always happy to see it. You look forward to it, and when you love someone you get to touch them."

"Touch?"

Ivan nodded his head, and moved one of his hands up to Alfred's cheek. The soft skin instantly turned a dark shade of red.

"Touching like this, kissing, and various other things you can do, which is sadly a luxury your Givers deny you. Your "sex" is not what sex really is. Sex isn't about sitting away from your partner while enjoying pulses of pleasure from a headset. It's a chance to feel the person you love in every possible way. You don't have to be afraid to express your love. Not here."

Alfred took this all to heart, and furrowed his brow as he thought about it.

"So, do you love me? Since you kissed me before."

Ivan gave a hum to this question, and pulled his hand from Alfred's face. The honey blonde found this to be discouraging.

"Perhaps. You _are_ a very interesting person, for a B-Class," Ivan said, adding a teasing tone to his voice.

Alfred didn't know what to do with this information. He felt like his heart was going to burst, and his chest ached as if it was expanding. He just felt overwhelmed all of a sudden.

He had dealt with Ivan's touch and kiss since he met the man and the more it happened the more he felt strange. He knew it was against the laws in many ways. He knew what he was and what to believe in, but Ivan, for some reason Ivan seemed to push him to that illegal line, the forbidden. The more he pushed the more he became confused and curious.

Alfred had jerked away from Ivan the previous day when he'd touch him by surprise, but when he was facing him with seemingly no way out, he couldn't move. He found himself anxiously waiting for the new emotion to arrive again, to feel the touch that wasn't allowed. He knew it was wrong, and had felt dirtied after he thought back on the events, but as of this moment, he simply felt overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with the concept and emotion of love, overwhelmed that he anticipated Ivan's kiss and touch to some degree, _overwhelmed_ that he wanted to try it himself.

He looked down to their hands, and moved his own to intertwine his and Ivan's fingers. He felt a little sick to his stomach as he did this, but it wasn't as strong as it used to be. He took a deep breath as he tried to order his thoughts; thoughts about everything he ever knew, and what Ivan had told him was buzzing in his head.

"Alfred, don't think too hard. It is a mysterious emotion."

Alfred nodded at hearing this then looked up at Ivan. Ivan was, as told by Arthur and The Givers, a filthy Radical leader that needed to be eradicated. Ivan was a barbarian from the unsalvageable lands. Ivan was a commanding man with intense violet eyes and soft lips. Ivan was a man that made Alfred question when he shouldn't, made him feel things he shouldn't, made him want things he shouldn't.

_'I want to kiss him.'_

Alfred traced his bottom lip with his tongue as he thought this, and took his hands from Ivan's. Ivan looked at Alfred curiously as the other seemed to just stare at him. His curiosity only grew as Alfred moved forward, slowly and hesitantly. Ivan felt his heart picking up its pace as Alfred moved into his space, but he didn't back away. He knew what Alfred was thinking, he knew this was a crucial moment. One false move on his part, and Alfred would probably break. He understood that the B-Class was pushing aside his conditioning, blocking out the teachings of his precious Givers, and if he made one move that showed he didn't want what Alfred was going to do, or anything negative, Alfred would surely go back to his old self. Tossing out everything that Ivan ever said, and going back to being tense, hateful, and trying to find a means of leaving the city. Ivan couldn't have that. Alfred was his.

_'He's mine.'_

Alfred's lips brushed Ivan's, and the Russian stayed perfectly still. He could feel Alfred's breath against his skin, and the apprehension and tension coming off of him.

"Relax," Ivan whispered.

Alfred didn't say anything in return, but Ivan could tell Alfred took his advice. It took another second, which felt like minutes; another quick heartbeat, which sounded like a drum; another breath, which was short and ragged, before Alfred finally moved forward. Ivan had kissed Alfred only twice since he met the B-Class, and none of them compared to Alfred's kiss. It was a little rough and Alfred didn't move his lips, but it was perfect.

The Radical moved a hand to the back of Alfred's neck, and cradled his head with it. He parted his lips slightly, and Alfred did the same, realizing that he never had moved them. Alfred tried his best to mimic the way Ivan had kissed him from previous moments. Ivan didn't mind it at all, and kissed Alfred back gently, just giving slow kisses so not to overwhelm him.

The sound of soft smacks and gasps echoed throughout the quiet library. A deep breath was released, and Alfred moved to cup Ivan's face with his hands. Alfred found himself trying to kiss Ivan more quickly, even if it was sloppy, but Ivan encouraged him. The B-Class shivered as he felt the Radical push his tongue into his mouth, and he wanted to push it out but also accept it. He liked the feeling of it, but he also found it unappealing.

 _'He's sweet.'_ Alfred thought with a clouded mind.

Ivan soon started to slow their kisses, seeing that Alfred had become increasingly inactive during the kissing. The other was more panting than kissing at this point, and when they came to a stop he just breathed harshly against Ivan's chest. Alfred sat in silence trying to collect his thoughts and understand his feelings. When his breathing leveled out he realized he had worked himself into Ivan's lap.

_'I'm touching him. I kissed him.'_

Alfred felt happy the more he thought about this, and started grinning widely. Ivan couldn't see this though, Alfred was keeping his face hidden in his chest. He assumed Alfred was happy since he seemed to shake in his lap, and his hands tighten their hold on his shirt.

 _'So amazing! It felt better than the virtual! How can The Givers disapprove of this?'_ Alfred thought, but his happiness drained from him at the mention of The Givers.

Ivan noticed that something wasn't right, and moved to lift Alfred's face up. The honey blonde had a look of melancholy, and Ivan worried that he had done something wrong. The Radical asked as much, and Alfred took his head from Ivan's hand; looking away from his violet eyes.

"I, I liked it. I liked kissing you, but The Givers… I'll be reconditioned. I'll never—" Alfred cut himself off as he felt his sadness getting stronger.

He had never felt this negatively before, except when fighting Radicals and avenging the deaths of his fellow B-Classes, but this sadness was different from those times. Ivan patted Alfred's back and kissed his trembling lips. He could tell Alfred was struggling to grip onto how he felt and moved his hands to cup Alfred's face. He looked into his teary blue eyes, and knew that what he was going to say to Alfred was going to bare all his feelings.

"The Givers will not get ahold of you. You are mine Alfred. I, know that you will miss your home, but I promise you being here is much better. Being in this city you can be with me without worry. Here, I can protect you. I, can love you."

Alfred stared at Ivan as he said this, and the ache in his chest lessened greatly. He wasn't sure how he felt with everything Ivan had said, but he knew it comforted him in some ways. He had a ragged breath escape him as he tried to calm down. He felt smothered by his feelings wreaking havoc in him, his mind and heart conflicted with each other. He felt the need to say something, but he didn't know what, and Ivan rubbed his back gently.

"You don't have to say anything you know," Ivan ensured, knowing full well that Alfred was struggling.

Alfred wanted to disagree, but he didn't get the chance to, for the doors to the library opened. Both of them glanced over to it, and a man with long blonde hair spotted them.

"Ivan, mon Dieu. Ivan!" he called out and moved over to them.

"Francis? What is it?" Ivan asked and moved to get up. Alfred quickly got off of Ivan with Ivan's help, and both of them stood at the top of the stairs as Francis came up to them.

Alfred had never met the man before, and he found he looked like Matthew if he had facial hair. Francis took a moment to catch his breath as he got up the stairs.

"Ivan, you need to come to the base quickly," Francis voiced in a rushed tone.

"What has happened?" Ivan questioned.

"I have gotten word from Sadiq, that the cities are making a move."

Ivan was surprised at hearing this, but he knew deep down he had expected it.

"Alright, let's go, quickly."

Francis nodded and moved on to lead the way. Ivan went to follow, but then stopped as he remembered about Alfred. He turned back to him and held out his hand.

"Alfred, I'm going to need your help. Will you please come with me?"

Alfred stared at Ivan in surprise.

_'If I go, I'll be just like him. If I go, I'll be with him. If I don't, The Givers will take me back.'_

Alfred moved his hand to take Ivan's, and Ivan gave it a comforting squeeze. Alfred's fate was sealed as Ivan began to lead him to the base.

* * *

**Translations:**

mon Dieu - my God

***So... This is 9 pages of trash :T Next chapter is gonna be better promise! Reviews welcomed!***


	8. Chapter 8

  **8**

 The path to the base was something new for Alfred. He had never walked so far from the city before, and was looking in every possible direction, as he was led into the forest that surrounded most of the city. Never in his life had he seen so many trees, but his adoration of the tall plants was interrupted as he finally came to a stop.

Francis was ahead of Ivan and was punching in a code, then a rusted squeak sounded. A door sunk inward, causing the rusted squeak, then slid off to the side roughly. Francis stepped inside and Ivan followed, bringing Alfred in tow. The door squeaked again as it started to close on its own, but Alfred was more interested in the base. The corridor was wide with low ceilings, and everything looked extremely old, but well kept.

They passed by doors and other passageways that lined the main corridor. Alfred tried to look at each one, but Ivan was moving too fast. They soon came to a doorway, and brushing aside a curtain, Alfred found himself surrounded by Radicals. He tensed up immediately as they looked at him, but Ivan squeezed his hand to calm him. The Russian looked back to Alfred and leaned towards his ear.

"Do not be afraid. They are like me, some are just… not so nice," Ivan whispered and smiled softly as he said the last part.

"O-Okay," Alfred forced out, his face feeling hot from Ivan's closeness.

Ivan planted an inconspicuous kiss on Alfred's cheek, before turning to his team, his family, his friends.

"It's come to my attention that the cities are making a move, da?"

"Oui, Sadiq had been noticing that S-8 was sending out masses of transports in the direction of the neighboring city," Francis announced.

"The other leaders have noticed this as well," Toris added, "S-1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are _all_ on the move."

Ivan furrowed his brow at this.

"What about S-3?"

Everyone in the room didn't want to say anything on the matter, but Gilbert decided to speak up.

"Nothing is happening at S-3 other than rebuild, which is the problem. All those transports are going to S-3 and will be there by tomorrow."

Alfred was surprised to hear this, just as Ivan was, but he knew that it was a most likely move. His class was very weak in numbers and it only made sense that The Givers would pool their B-Classes in order to fight back.

"So, it seems that they'll be coming for us," Ivan concluded.

Everyone agreed with him, and he let out a sigh as he took his hand from Alfred's to cross his arms.

"Well, we will need to get a move on to. I refuse to let them come after us. We need to make up a plan, and lucky for us, Alfred will help."

Ivan reached for Alfred's hand and pulled the blonde to be beside him. Alfred looked at everyone, who stared back at him with almost skeptical looks.

_'I, I don't know what to do. What can I do? I'll be punished if The Givers find out about this!'_

Ivan looked to Alfred, sensing his distress, and moved his hand to rub Alfred's back soothingly. The honey blonde tensed at the touch, but relaxed into it as he looked up to Ivan.

"Do not worry Alfred. Put trust in me that I will protect you," Ivan whispered.

_'Protect me? …I already agreed to this when I took his hand… I'll be reconditioned either way if taken back home…'_

Alfred swallowed a lump of dread that had formed in his throat, then gave a nod.

"Right, um… As you know, we B-Class, are equipped with electrical guns, LRG-190, that are quick and effective. The "bullets" are just electrical charges that can be varied in strength by a dial. We also have many other weapons that work the same as the handheld guns, just bigger and stronger, but we rarely use them," Alfred stated, then paused, not really sure where to go from there.

"I remember that, it was some cannon thing," Eliza mentioned, as she recalled it from memory.

"Yes, and I surmise that it will be used again. With each city coming together, there are still numbers of B-Classes in other divisions stationed in the cities to defend it. The Givers are probably going to send out their grouped B-Classes in search of every Radical City."

"Good luck with that, we can't be detected," Romano huffed out.

Alfred felt a little nervous at hearing this and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, yes, but… We have a flight division within security. I'm sure The Givers have sent out all drones by now in search of you guys…" Alfred said, trailing off as he noticed the looks of shock on everyone's face.

"You have what?!"

"How come we've never seen these before?!"

"Are you serious?"

These questions and more popped up as everyone started to become frantic. No one had ever heard of Grand Haven having such devices.

"Look!" Alfred shouted, getting everyone's attention. "The drones have cloaking, but it's not very good, you can still see distortions when it's in use. The security drones are relatively new, and you probably have seen them, but not these kind. Our drones are also used as transports for citizens, but do not have cloaking."

Everyone felt relieved and unease all at once at hearing this.

"What are we going to do Ivan?" Feliciano questioned.

Ivan was at a loss, that is until he asked:

"Is their range that great?"

"I don't know, sorry," Alfred admitted softly.

Ivan gave a hum to this and leaned back on a console.

"Alright, we know that Grand Haven technology has a limited range. They weren't meant for extensive battle, because their world is "perfect". So we can assume that these drones can't go far, and their relatively new like Alfred said."

Everyone took a moment to think this over, then agreed.

"Right, if it could go far we would have been found long ago," Yao commented.

"Exactly, but by now they've probably been working on a solution to that, so we need to act quickly. We need to meet them before they get too far and find us. All B-Class should be arriving in S-3 by tomorrow so, they won't move out until the next day at best," Ivan said with determination as he felt a plan coming along.

"Okay, so we gather supplies and battle them out in the wastelands, but we still need to get supplies and help," Gilbert stated.

"Da, and that's what we will do. We will get ahold of the other Radical leaders and tell them to send help, but to also stay scattered out. This way we can attack from all angles."

"So that way you look like you've brought everyone together, and get the element of surprise," Ludwig simplified, as he saw what Ivan was planning.

"And we can use fireworks again. We still have some left," Yao added in.

Ivan agreed with the man and so did everyone else. The plan was forming well, and Alfred found himself liking how everyone interacted. It reminded him of his own team, but more loose.

_'I hope this will go well. Maybe I can even get the guys to stay with me. It would be nice to see them again.'_

Alfred let out a sigh as he watched everyone talk avidly of their battle plans, and he could only hope that things would work out. He knew he wanted to stay with Ivan, he knew this, but he still longed to go home.

** :/:/:/:/: **

Every pair of eyes was focused on the front of the room. Arthur was faced with blank stares as he cleared his throat and set down his data screen.

"As all of you know, the other B-Classes will be here by tomorrow and will assist us with our endeavor. Even though you are newly conditioned and some of you have already arrived from S-1 and S-2, dealing with Radicals here is most difficult. They have outdated technology, speed, and obnoxious machinery they ride in on. They seem to never run out of weapons, and they are very, very, smart for savages. The drones have been equipped with a special device to lengthen their range, an additional 1000km, and we can only hope it'll be enough. S-Class Heracles is the head of the flight division, and he will periodically give us any information he has gathered. The plan that we will be implementing in two days will be, the total eradication of the Radical filth. We don't know when, where, or how they will fight us, but we will be ready. We are going to be heading out to the west once the flight division gets a fix on where the Radicals are likely to be in the Old World. The LRG-190s have been fixed with the newest scopes for when the Radicals get into close range. We will also be using the LRC-12. These cannons will be protected in the back of the squadron, but will fire first. You all have been briefed before on the happenings here, and all are aware of your duties. Do _not_ let your team down, do _not_ let The Givers down. All information you will need regarding your task is on your screens. Any questions?"

Not a word was spoken, and not an eye was taken off of Arthur.

"Good. I shall see you all soon. Dismissed."

Everyone in the briefing room gathered their things and left quickly. Arthur watched the new B-classes, S-1 and S-2 City B-classes leave in silence. Once he was alone he picked up his data screen and made to leave, but Matthew and his team were in the doorway.

"Matthew? Is there something you need?"

The blonde nodded and walked into the room, and Yong Soo closed the door once everyone was inside.

"What about Alfred?" Matthew asked.

Arthur let out a breath at hearing this question, having been asked it numerous times. He looked at the concerned looks on everyone's face, then nodded his head.

"Yes, Alfred…. We, we are to recover him if we can. He is to come back with us to be admitted to the hospital for wellness and counsel. I'll appoint you four to handle this. I will add the new B-classes to your team, but they will not assist you in recovering Alfred. I would personally assist you, but as an S-Class I can't. Now that we have help my duty on the field is unneeded," Arthur told them as he looked at the loyal team.

All of them seemed to be relieved and eager at hearing the news.

"We understand, and thank you Arthur," Kiku said with a soft smile on his face.

"Think nothing of it. Now go on, I got work to do and so do you," Arthur said back with a playful tone.

The group of four smiled and nodded as they left the room, and Arthur was once again alone.

 _'My word, did I just lie to them?'_ Arthur thought as he ran a hand through his hair.

The words of The Givers was still fresh in his mind, and his doubt and worry only grew. He wanted to tell Matthew and the other's about it, but he knew he couldn't. He had to keep it to himself.

_"Good evening Arthur. You seem distressed, perhaps a relaxer can help."_

Arthur frowned as he heard this familiar voice, and looked behind him to see a smiley face on a data screen. Below the screen was a tray sticking out of a box, with two pills resting on the tray. Arthur went over to it and picked up the soft blue pills, and pocketed them as he tried to calm himself. He had avoided taking his pills ever since the visit with The Givers. He didn't know how to describe it, but without relaxers his thinking felt more fluid, easy, as if a fog of sorts had been lifted. He did also find he became quick to get irritated over things, which had been a drawback.

_'Get it together old boy. Once Alfred is recovered everything will be just as it were.'_

This positive thinking put Arthur at ease, but he still held the persistent doubt in his chest. He could only hope that his doubting and worrying was for nothing when it came time to act.

_'Just two more days.'_

* * *

**Translations:**

Oui/da - Yes


	9. Chapter 9

  **9**

 

The Radical City was restless as night overtook the sky. Everyone was enjoying their time amongst loved ones and company, for the fight would begin at dawn. Alfred was one of those restless people, his mind not allowing him to sleep. As the final hours of his stay in Radical City where ticking away, he just felt the weight of everything pressing into him.

 _'I'm actually going to go with them. I'm going to see everyone one more time during this battle, it's the least I can hope for really. Just one last glimpse of home.'_ Alfred thought sadly.

After he had assisted Ivan in planning for battle, he had persuaded the man to let him come along. He wanted to see his fellow citizens once more, to see his friends once more. Ivan had understood his feelings, though he had been reluctant to agree.

Alfred let out a breath and sat up in bed. His blue eyes focused on the window, and looked out to see the nightlife of the Radical City. The glow of the city outside was the only light in his dark bedroom.

_'If I could bring my friends here that would be nice. Having a familiar face…But The Givers would surely try to find them.'_

A wave of melancholy washed over Alfred as he thought about this and The Givers. The threat of The Givers was enough for him to want to stay by Ivan's side, which still didn't make much sense to him. He liked Ivan, he liked kissing him, but he knew there was more to it. He knew there was still things he didn't understand. Even now, as he thought about the Russian, his face felt hot and his heart raced in his chest.

He found himself thinking back to the kiss they had shared in the library days ago, and the strange fluttering feeling was growing in his stomach. He licked his bottom lip, then bit the corner of it gently, as he remembered the feel of the kiss. It almost felt real as he remembered the kiss, how soft it was in the beginning then got rougher towards the end, how his body felt in Ivan's lap, how Ivan's face felt in his hands. Alfred had a shiver go down his spine as he relished the memory, and a stray thought floated through his head.

_'I wonder what sex would be like.'_

This unconscious thought became Alfred's main focus, and he couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like. He knew that kissing Ivan felt better than any virtual pleasure, so the thought of physically fornicating was mindboggling. Trying to even think of doing such an act made him blush and feel embarrassed. He had no idea how it would happen or work out between two men, but the idea was running rampant in his head. He became even more embarrassed as he realized he had gotten excited, which hadn't happened in months. He quickly pressed his legs together, and did everything in his power to calm down. He settled for staring out the window, and even moved to pry it open to let in the night air.

 _'What's wrong with me?'_ Alfred whined internally.

Never in his life had he been so shameful and obscene. He wasn't supposed to be like this, but Ivan had changed him. The man had turned everything upside-down then threw it all into a confusing mess. A confusing mess of doubt, worry, and pleasure, yet Alfred still couldn't see a life without Ivan in it. Just thinking about the Russian being wiped from his mind made him feel uneasy. He knew he couldn't go back to how things used to be, he knew he couldn't be reconditioned. He didn't want to leave the world that had showed him so many captivated things; even though it meant leaving his home world, leaving S-3 City, leaving his friends.

Alfred let out a sad and tired sigh, and moved to lay down on the windowsill. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind of his distracting thoughts, and let the sound of people laughing and yelling, cars driving by, and dogs barking lull him to sleep. He was in a light sleep, when the door to his borrowed room opened with a loud squeak. He tensed at hearing it, and turned his head slowly to see who had invaded his space. What he was met with was Ivan slipping into the room, who stopped mid-step as he noticed Alfred.

"Oh, sorry. I just came for one of my books," he said simply.

"It's fine. Can't sleep?" Alfred found himself asking, as Ivan walked into the room and closed the door, but not all the way.

"Da, I take it you can't either?" Ivan surmised, and Alfred just nodded. "It is understandable, tomorrow is very important."

Alfred gave a sound of agreement as he watched Ivan squat down to select a book. Even though the room was dark, Alfred could see Ivan's pale finger run over the worn spines, until it hooked into one of them, and pulled the book forward. The B-Class didn't even know he was so fixated on Ivan, until the man stood up to full height and moved for the door.

"Well, try to sleep soon Alfred. Good ni—"

"Wait!"

Ivan only had a hand on the doorknob when Alfred shouted this, and Alfred had moved to be on the edge of the bed, ready to get off it in order to catch Ivan if the man hadn't stopped by the sound of his voice. The two stared at each other, and Alfred felt himself blushing again as he realized what he just did. Ivan didn't say a word however, just waiting patiently for Alfred to speak his mind.

"Um, you can read in here, if you want. I mean, this is your bedroom after all," Alfred mentioned with apprehension in his voice.

Ivan smiled at the offer and closed the bedroom door, then walked over to the bed.

"I don't mind," he said simply, and sat down at the head of the bed.

Alfred scooted back towards the window to allow Ivan room. Ivan stretched out on the bed, blocking Alfred in, and opened his book. Alfred looked at him for a moment, his tongue absentmindedly tracing his lip, until it caught his attention and he pulled his tongue back. He turned his head to the window, and adjusted the way he sat so not to bump Ivan with his legs. The two sat in silence, Ivan reading his book by the glow of the city, and Alfred looking out the window. Neither said a word, but found their closeness to be relaxing, but also a little tense, an apprehensive air settling in.

Ivan would find himself looking over his book to stare at Alfred's curved body and the profile of his face. The city glow made Alfred look angelic as he rested his head on his arms and the windowsill. Alfred would sneak glances back at Ivan as he was reading. His blue eyes trailing along the strong contours of his face, and looking at the shaggy beige hair that looked grey in the dark room. It didn't take long for both of them to catch each other doing this, but they didn't look away.

The two locked eyes for a moment, before Alfred moved to turn away from the window, and Ivan closed and set down his book. Once his hands were free, they were quick to latch onto Alfred once he was close enough. Alfred placed his own hands on Ivan's face, fingers digging into the shaggy hair that framed it, and rested his forehead against the other's. Alfred lidded his eyes and so did Ivan, both focusing on each other's lips, and slowly, but surely, Alfred closed the gap between them. Ivan would have done so himself, but he wanted Alfred to move at his leisure.

The kiss was soft and slow, lips lingering with each pull, until a soft smack sounded when they released. The slow kisses grew intense with each passing second. Alfred getting accustomed to the feel of Ivan on his lips, and wanting more. The B-Class moved to straddle the Russian's waist, the need to get closer to the man becoming too great. Ivan kissed Alfred heatedly, and pulled Alfred's hips towards his body, wanting more contact as much as Alfred did.

Their kisses grew needier with these actions, both wanting to just meld into each other. Alfred felt like he was floating within a fog, he didn't feel nauseous at all, only eager. He wanted to do more with Ivan, more than just kisses, and not knowing what he was doing; he started to move his hands from Ivan's face. He ran them down the man's body, feeling the muscle underneath, and fisted the shirt as Ivan pushed his tongue in his mouth. He let out a breathy gasp at the action, but kept up his hand movements. Alfred couldn't help his urge to touch Ivan, the man was so close to him, and feeling contact so intimate was driving him insane. He had gotten used to their hands touching and Ivan holding him little by little, and now he felt at ease, but still held nerves as he sat on Ivan's lap.

The B-Class tugged on Ivan's shirt, pulling up the thin green and black shirt, and only stopping when he ran out of material to pull. The Radical didn't mind it at all, and gasped softly as he felt Alfred's hands touch his bare skin. Alfred's fingers were warm against him, and he shivered as he felt them run over his body.

"Alfred," Ivan breathed out softly, breaking their kiss.

They both panted harshly from their kisses, and looked down to see Alfred run his hands over Ivan's defined torso. Ivan moved his hands to trail down Alfred's arms to his wrist, and stopped his wandering hands from touching the hem of his pants and boxers. Alfred had thought he'd done something wrong, and started to panic, but Ivan kissed him to put him at ease.

"I want to touch you too," Ivan said in a near whisper.

"O-Okay," Alfred croaked out, his throat feeling extremely dry.

Ivan moved forward to kiss Alfred once more, then trailed kisses down his neck. He moved his hands to slide under and up Alfred's shirt, and took his time feeling Alfred's hot skin under his fingers. He wanted to remember every centimeter of the B-Class. He ran his fingers over the firm body, and moved them to graze Alfred's sides, which earned him a surprised giggle. Ivan chuckled lightly at hearing it, but kept on, moving his fingers to graze over Alfred's back.

Alfred felt himself melting into the touch, and moaned softly as the rough hands touched him. Soft lips started to leave kisses on Alfred's neck once more, and traveled up to his ear. Ivan bit it gently, then in a husky voice asked Alfred if he could take his shirt off. Alfred shivered from hearing the thick accent lacing Ivan's words, and found himself nodding his head. He wasn't too sure about letting the Radical leader do this, but he knew he still wanted to do more with him. He could only guess that what they were doing was something common in Ivan's world; the something more he craved.

Ivan let out a breath as Alfred agreed, and eased the shirt off of Alfred. The blonde had been borrowing his clothes as of late, disgusted with wearing his uniform every day. Ivan easily slipped the oversized shirt off and let it fall to the floor, then moved to put Alfred on his back. He loomed over Alfred, and both of them just stared at each other. Their position was nearly identical to the one they had been in when they fought for the first time. The only difference being that Ivan's lower half was between Alfred's legs and pressed firmly against him.

"T-Take off your shirt too," Alfred said in a hushed voice.

Ivan smiled at the demand, and happily fulfilled it. He sat up, and quickly stripped himself of his shirt and tossed it onto the floor. Alfred felt like his heart was going to give out from the sight of Ivan above him, and the feel of his body against him. He didn't feel nauseous, but he felt overwhelmed. He didn't know whether to like the feeling or hate it, and he didn't have time to question it either, for Ivan started to kiss him.

The Russian smothered Alfred in kisses, as he moved his hands over Alfred's body. Alfred did his best to kiss back and touch Ivan, but Ivan's touch was much more distracting. He could feel himself getting excited, and Ivan could too. The B-Class felt like he was burning up from realizing this, but once he felt Ivan's hand on his crotch he couldn't take it. The feel of Ivan's hand touching something that only he, _himself_ , had _ever_ touched was too much.

"S-Stop, stop for a moment, please," Alfred pleaded, as he pulled away from the kiss.

Ivan instantly pulled back, taking his hands off of Alfred. Alfred laid under him with a mix of embarrassment, fear, and disgust showing on his face. He moved a hand to cover his face, while the other covered up his lower half.

 _'Did I push him too far?'_ Ivan thought, as he saw Alfred moved a hand to hide his face.

"Alfred, talk to me. What is the matter?" Ivan asked, as he moved out from between Alfred's legs and got beside him.

"I, I'm sorry. I don't know… I wanted to do more, but when you touched me, it felt so weird, and—" Alfred let out a choked noise, and Ivan knew then that Alfred had gotten pushed too far.

"It's okay, it's something new for you. You will get used to it in time, just like the kissing," Ivan said calmly, and moved to hold Alfred in his arms.

Alfred tensed at the touch and wanted to shrink away from the man, but he felt like that would hurt Ivan, which he didn't want. He gave a ragged breath as he eased himself into Ivan's hold, and kept his face away from Ivan's sight as he felt his conflicted thoughts consume him.

 _'It had felt good, exciting even, but why did_ that _feel so weird, so wrong?'_

Alfred let out a deep breath and sniffled a little as he tried to sort out his thoughts. He knew he liked Ivan, though he didn't know how far he truly "liked" Ivan. He knew he could withstand his touch, even enjoy it and anticipate it, just like his kiss. He knew what they had been doing felt good, but for some reason, he felt afraid, disgusted. Alfred knew the possibilities as to why that could be; whether it be because he is a B-Class, conditioned to fear and hate touch and same sex relationship, or because Ivan was a man, a Radical. Whether it was because, he was still wary of what would happen to him if he let himself indulge in Ivan, or because he was still new to this concept of "love", of intimacy on such a physical level.

All he ever had in his life so far, was a few relationships with B-Class and C-Class women that were not in the 1% that were fertile like himself. A law in place to prevent illegal birthing. None of these relationships lasted long, or felt as profound as what he had with Ivan. The intimacy he had expected then only consisted of dates of the typical kind: 4-D movies, walks, restaurants, and virtual sex. The sex he had had was just pulses of pleasure and vague caresses, which he and the woman would have shared through their linked headsets. It would have only lasted minutes if that, then they would either agree or disagree to meet again as they cleaned up; the woman would clean up and leave, while he cleaned up and sent off his semen.

Being here with Ivan, the leader of the Radicals, made everything a complete unknown, a forbidden unknown. What he felt for Ivan he shouldn't be, what he wanted from Ivan he shouldn't want, what he wanted to do to Ivan he shouldn't want to do. Yet, here he was, indulging himself in the savage he was meant to hate, yearning for him in ways he couldn't possibly fathom, but after this, he was doubtful. He had had confidence in himself that he could go on to have sex with Ivan, but the thought of the man doing such an act, left a bad taste in his mouth. A bad taste of fear and mild disgust.

_'I thought I liked Ivan…'_

"Alfred, it really is okay. I love you, and I know it will take time for you to adjust. You cannot expect to be ready for everything yes?"

Alfred stayed silent in Ivan's arms, and Ivan could tell Alfred was calming down. The tension in his body fading with each passing second. Ivan was aware that Alfred was confused and worried, he understood to some degree what Alfred could be feeling. Rushing into such physical acts that were completely foreign, and only finding that you couldn't handle it after all. The doubts and worry alone could have made Alfred regress, and Ivan knew this, and he was going to prevent it.

"Do not dwell on what just happened negatively. Think of it as an accomplishment Alfred."

Alfred took a deep breath as he heard this and found that thinking of it as Ivan suggested helped. A sense of pride coming with it to know that his like for Ivan was still as it was, that he had done something practically impossible for a person of his stature.

Ivan smiled softly as he felt Alfred relax more in his arms, and rubbed his back soothingly.

"Let's go to sleep, okay?" Ivan suggested and Alfred just nodded his head. "Do you want your shirt back on?"

Alfred shook his head no, and Ivan moved to lay them both down on the bed properly. He held Alfred close to his body seeing that the blonde made no move to leave him. They remained that way for the rest of the night, falling asleep on the small bed.

** :/:/:/:/:/ **

When morning came, Alfred woke up to the sound of voices and movements. He cracked open a tired blue eye to see Ivan's scarred back facing him. He traced the lines dazedly with his eye, not fully awake, but once the back raised from the bed, he snapped out of his trance. The bedroom door shut as someone went through it, and Ivan was picking up his shirt from the day before. He slipped it back on, then picked up Alfred's borrowed shirt, a faded shade of red, nearly pink in color. He held the fabric in his hand fondly then laid it on the bed, and went to the dresser. He pulled out Alfred's security-field uniform as a yawn escaped him, then moved back over to the bed. Alfred quickly shut his eye, not sure why he felt the need to fake sleep, as Ivan leaned onto the bed. The Radical leader ran a hand through his hair, which got a hum from Alfred, then a soft kiss was placed on his cheek.

"Wake up, Alfred."

Alfred cracked open his eye again, and Ivan smiled at him.

"Come on, we need to eat then get going. The sooner we leave the better."

Alfred sighed at hearing this, but nodded and sat up in bed. He yawned loudly as Ivan handed him his clothes, then looked out the window. The sky was still dark, more of a dark blue color.

"Alfred."

"I'm moving," Alfred said tiredly, as he scooted off the bed to get dressed.

Ivan gave him his boots, and told him to go downstairs once he was dressed to eat. Alfred mumbled an "okay" and Ivan left him to get ready. Ivan dressed quickly, slipping on his jacket that he always wore for raids, a well-worn military jacket with various pockets, then put on his boots, and wrapped his scarf around his neck. When he came out of the room, Alfred was just then going down the stairs.

_'He is not a morning person. Granted it is before day break.'_

Ivan let out a sigh and moved to escort Alfred to the kitchen. The two ate a hearty breakfast with Katyusha and Natalia, then set off to the base with the sisters wishing them good luck and a safe return. When they arrived at the base Ivan did a supply check as he waited for everyone to arrive. Alfred just sat down on a crate and nodded off. He was woken up when Francis shook him, and he took in a sharp breath, then relaxed as he saw the conference room was full of people.

"I fell asleep?"

"Yes, and it's time for the run over. So get up there mon ami," Francis said with a smile on his face.

"Alright," Alfred yawned out and stood up.

Alfred headed over to Ivan, who seemed to smirk at him. Alfred didn't know why, but just ignored it and stood beside the man. He stood there in silence for a moment as someone else joined the large group, and it was then that Alfred realized that the other radicals from other cities were present.

"Alright, I am Ivan, leader of this city, and this is Alfred. He's the B-Class citizen that has helped us prepare for this battle. I know you are all aware of the plan, but let's go through it one more time."

** :/:/:/:/: **

By noon, Alfred had been sitting in the back of a Radical vehicle with the leader by his side. In the front Eliza was driving and Francis was beside her. They had been in the vehicle for four hours, which according to Ivan was the halfway mark. It took a total of 8 hours to reach S-3 City from the Radical City. Alfred could understand why that was, it helped with keeping the city hidden, and since their vehicles were outdated it took a while. With a transport the journey would be less, by how much? Alfred had no idea, but he knew it would be shorter. Alfred had been able to catch up on sleep during the trip; it had been a bit hard with the roar of machinery being driven as fast as possible all around him.

When the fifth hour started to creep up, a horn started blaring. It was only for a short moment, but everyone knew what it meant.

The Grand Haven World B-Classes were up ahead.

Everyone could see a large mass of security field citizens lined up and ready, and transports parked like shields. Ivan rolled down his window and held up two fingers and pointed them to the left then the right. The Radicals started to part ways, and the instant they did a bright yellow ball collided with the ground, then expanded into a large dome of electrical energy. It engulfed two vehicles, frying them and the people within, then fizzled out. Alfred instantly knew it was the rarely used LRC-12.

Ivan cursed and started gesturing for everyone to keep going. The closer they were, the easier it would be.

The cannons kept firing, and canisters of gas and smoke joined them in the air. Everything was engulfed in the thick clouds, but the bright yellow light of the cannons could still be seen faintly. Ivan wasn't worried however, he knew they would get through this, and the sound of Yao and Lee's fireworks assured his intuition. Eliza kept driving as fast as possible, her heat vision goggles firmly in place just like her gas mask. She jerked the vehicle hard to the right, making Ivan hold onto Alfred, and Francis brace himself, the vehicle slammed into something metal, and screams could be heard.

Eliza then practically flew out of the car once she got her door open, and Ivan quickly did the same as well as Alfred and Francis. Ivan and Alfred were equipped with their usual weapons; Alfred having gotten his gear from Ludwig earlier in the day. He wasn't sure about using it against anyone, but kept it at the ready just in case. He followed Ivan through the smoke and gas, and watched the man use a gun and knife with such skill it was frightening. Alfred himself tried his best to avoid fighting, being in a B-Class uniform had its advantages, but also disadvantages, since none of the Radicals could distinguish him from the others.

The smoke was quickly clearing out as the wind started to pick up, the breeze turning into a gust every now and then. When things started to clear up, Alfred found himself far away from Ivan, and surrounded by the dead and/or dying; Radicals and B-Class alike covered the dry ground. He swallowed thickly and pressed on, getting back into the thick of things.

He let his gun hang off his back, and only used his hands and feet to do the fighting for him. The screams, shouts, and chaotic explosions of vehicles, fireworks, and cannons made Alfred feel like he was back home, but distant. There could be many reasons for that distant feeling, whether it be the complete lack of relaxers in his system, or the time he spent in Radical world. He just felt out of it, but when a fist connected to his face he was brought back to reality. He stumbled back, falling to the ground, as grabbed onto whoever had punched him. It was a Radical from the other Radical Cities, and she was doing her best to stab him. Alfred tried to explain the mistake as he grabbed her wrist, but the woman was shot not soon after. Alfred stood horrified as he saw her cough up blood onto his uniform, and feel her go limp on his body. He found himself letting go of her in stunned silence, and quickly rolled her off. He sat up as he looked at the blood on his chest, then looked around to see who shot her. A B-Class happened to be the shooter and just happened to be running his way.

"Are you alright?" came a voice, and Alfred instantly froze as a hand grabbed him and pulled him up.

When he was up on his feet he stared in shock at the face looking back.

"Matthew?"

The B-Class stared at Alfred, and gasped as he realized it really was Alfred that was before him.

"Oh MY—Alfred, ALFRED!" Matthew shouted in excitement and held his lost brother's forearms in a tight grip. "I FOUND YOU!"

Alfred found himself smiling and returning the gesture to Matthew. It was good to see his twin of thousands again.

"Come on! We got to get you back home!"

The instant Matthew said this he was pulling Alfred to B-Class lines, but Alfred tried to stop him.

"No, no Matthew I can't! I can't go back!" Alfred shouted.

Matthew just scoffed at hearing this and kept tugging on Alfred. He dragged him through the battle field, and avoid any conflict that he could; not wanting to lose his grip on Alfred during a fight.

"Of course you can! The Givers gave orders to recover you and let you recuperate in the hospital!" Matthew shouted over a nearby explosion.

Alfred tisked as he felt his chest starting to ache. He felt tears coming to his eyes as Matthew kept tugging on his wrist.

"MATTIE STOP! I CAN'T! IVAN HELP ME!" Alfred screamed out, and frantically tried to find the Radical leader amongst the combat.

Matthew stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at Alfred in surprise. Alfred had tears streaming down his face, and never in his life had he seen Alfred so upset. Seeing Alfred as he was, was so strange, and wrong. He knew that Alfred had to have been damaged in some way by the Radicals, his Alfred would never act this way.

"Alfred you are going home. I know something is not right with you, and it's going to be fixed. So don't be scared, okay? It's me, Matthew," the blonde assured, and started to pull on Alfred again.

Alfred instantly started to scream and try to pull away, but it was no use. Matthew alerted his team to his position and that he had Alfred. In no time, Alfred's friends were surrounding him and carrying him by force to a transport. Ivan didn't know of this, his focus solely on destroying the B-Classes and their weapons. He had just succeeded in taking out a B-Class when Romano found him and told him of Alfred. The Italian having seen Alfred being carried off by a group of B-Classes to a transport a few meters away. Ivan wasted no time in chasing after the distressed blonde and his supposed rescue team.

"ALFRED!"

"IVAN, HELP ME!"

Alfred didn't know what was happening to him anymore. All he knew was that he needed to get away, that this talk of him being damaged was not true. He didn't want to be fixed. He wanted Ivan.

"IVAN!"

"I'M COMING!"

Ivan did his best to run after the group, but it was useless. The transport was close and Alfred was too far, and to top it off, one of the B-Classes covering for them was taking aim at him. Ivan was so focused on catching his love that he didn't see Kyle take aim, didn't see him pull the trigger, and didn't see the bullet coming his way until it hit him in the chest. He was flung back as the bullet ripped through his body and out, leaving him stunned and bleeding on the ground. Alfred's screams were louder than anyone else's, louder than the explosions and fireworks. Ivan tried to move, but couldn't, and once he heard Alfred's screams cease, he felt empty.

"Alfred?"

The fight between the B-Class and Radicals ended in a loss on both parties. The B-Class took more damage, but neither were able to keep up their persistent fighting, especially the B-Classes being so far from their cities. Both groups had retreated home, and Alfred was amongst the first B-Classes to make it back.

His throat was sore, his voice having left from all his screaming, and his eyes itchy and red from his crying. He felt numb all over, his mind was blank, and his heart was cold. Alfred could only look unseeing at the world around him. His body being moved, but not of his free will. He registered that he had been strapped to a medical bed and pushed into a room. People came and went and spoke to him, but he didn't hear them. He didn't know how long he had been in the room, until he was visited by someone everyone knew. The Giver of S-3 stood before him. She spoke to him, but he only heard "It's been four days—" and "The special wing—" come from her lips. She eventually left after this, and he found himself being moved to a chair, then pushed into a new room. Plain powder blue walls with white tile floors, no windows, bright lights, and in the center was a large chair. He was put into this chair, then left alone. It was here that more people came and went, the days having no effect on him, but one day one of them roused him from his state of shock.

"Did you, _like_ , the Radical Ivan?"

This question broke something in Alfred. He blinked and looked at the woman before him. She was dressed in clothes that an S-Class would wear, simple and sophisticated with a lab coat wrapped around her, and beside her was a B-Class security member. This question and the sight of these two people made Alfred angry. He found himself screaming at them with everything he had, and trying his best to get out of the chair he was in to fight them, but he couldn't get up. The only thing in his head was:

_'Ivan is dead because of you.'_

Eventually Alfred was silenced, a strong current of electricity ceases his words and movements that erupted from the chair he sat on. From then on, Alfred was asked questions, and even though he was back to himself, his attitude took a bitter turn, which rewarded him with bitter treatment.

  


* * *

**Translations:**

Da – Yes

mon ami – my friend

***Aw yeah. Can you feel that? Can you feel that?! That's feels! ^J^ Man, I'm trash.* Anywho still MORE to come and Reviews Welcomed!***


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: I EDITED ALMOST EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING FROM CHAPS 1-11 ARE EDITED!

  **10**

 

_'I'm not getting out of here. I guess it serves me right.'_

Alfred let out a sigh in the darkness that surrounded him.

_'I lost everything. I've lost my team, Arthur, and…and Ivan.'_ Alfred took a deep breath as he thought this. The urge to cry was prominent, but he had cried himself out days ago, or was it weeks. _'How long have I been here?'_

The concept of time to Alfred was nearly non-existent. His windowless prison showed no sign of what time it was, not even when the lights went off or on in his room. He had tried to gauge the days earlier on by the light, the S-Classes would turn it off for what he thought was sleep, but it wasn't. They would plunge him into darkness and leave him be, and it got to the point where he could no longer even try to sleep. The light wouldn't, or would, stay out for long periods of time, and in either case his dreams were too much for him to take. All he could ever see was the life he had with Ivan, and the moment the Russian was killed.

Alfred took another deep breath and tried his best to clear his mind.

_'Stop thinking about it,'_ he told himself internally.

He wanted to slap his face to get his head on straight, but he was still confined to the chair. He was always stuck in the chair, the restraints felt like a second skin from how long they've been on him. He wasn't even allowed to leave the chair to so much as use the bathroom. The reason behind it was the chair was not only able restrain every part of Alfred's body, but its base acted as a toilet when one of the various control buttons were pushed.

_'I'm going to die in this chair,'_ Alfred thought bitterly.

Alfred tilted his head up, resting it on the headrest, and hissed in pain as he adjusted himself. His body ached from not being able to move around, and from the treatment he had received from what seemed to be days ago.

"I'm going to die in this chair."

The pitch black room filled with obnoxiously bright light; making Alfred flinch and bring his head down to protect his eyes from it.

_'Are they coming?'_

Alfred's internal question was answered, as the door to his room slid to the right and three people walked in. Two B-Classes and one S-Class, all three the same ones from previous days, but something was different. One of the B-Classes held something long and rectangular, which was covered up, and leaned it against the wall in front of him.

"Hello again Alfred. Let's get started."

Alfred said nothing and just stared blankly at the people before him. The B-Class security walked to either side of him, and the S-Class pulled out his screen. He pulled up the control buttons for Alfred's chair, then walked up to be only a foot away from Alfred.

"Where is the Radical City?"

"I don't know," he said hoarsely.

"But you went and came from there."

"I don't know."

The S-Class sighed and knew Alfred wasn't going to say a word like the previous days. He looked down at the screen in his hand, and rubbed his thumb over a button before pressing it. The instant he did Alfred jerked in his chair, as a weak wave of electricity pulsed through his body for a few uncomfortable seconds.

"Alfred, you need to cooperate with me. You're the only citizen that holds valuable information for The Givers. Why don't you want to help them?"

Alfred said nothing.

"Silence will eventually not work Alfred," the S-Class informed, then moved on to the next question. "What was Ivan to you?"

Alfred couldn't bring himself to say: "Nothing." Ivan had been everything to him, even if he hadn't realized it, until he was beaten unconscious on day one. That moment had shaken him to his very core, the teasing jolts of electricity, unforgiving beatings, and persistent questions had broken him into that revelation.

_'I love him.'_ had gone through Alfred's head repeatedly as he drooled blood onto himself. Even when he finally was released from his pain by a sharp jolt that rendered him unconscious, that revelation was all he could dream about. The revelation that he, a male B-Class had fallen in love with a male Radical, that an emotion foreign to his life had worked its way into his life against all odds, that even though Ivan was now dead because of _him_ , because of _the_ _B-Classes_ , _The Givers_ , he loved him, painfully.

"You liked him didn't you? You had emotions for him," the S-Class assumed though her tone was more of the knowing kind.

Alfred stayed silent.

"You've kissed him."

Alfred stiffened at hearing this and wished he hadn't, for the S-Class grinned and stepped closer to him.

_'How did he know?!'_

"You did kiss him. It's on camera from the raid. I know you was showed the video, but that wasn't from the other camera behind you. We've known all along about this kiss, but didn't punish you for it, thinking it would lead to something of interest, which it has. We've caught the kiss you two shared when you got kidnapped as well."

Alfred felt fear coursing through his body, his heart racing faster than it ever had. He tried to look calm, but he wasn't so sure if he was conveying it.

"Look at you, you're nervous. You're disgusting, letting someone of the same sex, and a Radical, to touch you. You will be made an example of to others. Is that what you want?" The S-Class questioned, and got closer to Alfred. "To have everyone you know find out what you did," the S-Class taunted, and Alfred felt himself starting to sweat, "but it doesn't have to be that way. You can just tell me everything you know about the Radicals. You really shouldn't be so resistant. The Radicals didn't care about you, not even Ivan. There is a reason why kisses and other sexual things are outlawed. They can be meaningless actions to some and not to others, causing misunderstandings, which causes problems to others wellbeing. You, _Alfred_ , misunderstood."

Alfred felt his heart ache at hearing this, and his eyes began to tear up. He had thought he was numb to their attempts, but this, was proving him wrong.

"You're wrong," he croaked, "Ivan loved me. He said so himself. He said he would protect me."

"And what was he protecting you from? Your own life? And love is just a meaningless word, flung around with no true intention."

"You're wrong!" Alfred shouted, his voice cracking from its raw state.

Alfred found himself wanting to break free of his chair, and only got to pull against the restraints a little before a B-Class punched him in the stomach. His motions ceased as he felt the pain ripple through him.

"Alfred, you misunderstood, simple as that. He only said it to use you. There is nothing special about you, you are just average. You are just a B-Class, a clone of thousands in your group. Ivan could have picked anyone that had the same face as yours and said he loved them," the S-Class warranted, then moved to the covered object that was brought in.

He pulled on the covering, and one of the B-classes gripped Alfred's hair and forced him to look at the object. The rectangular object was a mirror, and what stared back at Alfred was someone unrecognizable. His body looked unbelievably skinny and frail, with a very loose hospital gown covering it. His skin pale as a ghost's, covered in bruises and cuts, and his face was just as horrifying.

"I wonder what Ivan would think of you now. We he still love you, or move on to find another B-Class to use for his own gain?"

Alfred didn't know what to say, his eyes fixated on the reflection of a beaten down man.

_'Ivan loved me…right? He said so… we, we kissed and touched…' 'But he did_ kidnap _you. He_ wanted _your help.'_

Alfred's world was starting to fall apart.

"Now Alfred, tell me about the Radicals."

Alfred stared conflicted at the mirror, then tore his eyes away from his face to look as far down as he could. He ended up staring at his bare feet, as he tried to sort through his mind.

_'Ivan only wanted me to give information on my city. He only wanted me for his own gain… but he treated me so kindly. He loved me. I know he did!'_

Alfred felt his chest aching and his face burning up as he thought this. He knew Ivan loved him, and the S-Class had to be lying. An S-Class may have more knowledge than a B-Class, but they didn't know what love was, how it felt. They didn't understand what he went through with Ivan.

"I'm not telling you a _damn_ thing," Alfred said through clenched teeth, the curse word slipping out unexpectedly. He had heard it, along with others, often when he was with Ivan, and it had grown on him unconsciously.

The S-Class gawked at Alfred; completely caught off guard at hearing the forbidden language.

"M-My word! Al—"

The S-Class was cut off, as the door to Alfred's room opened and two people walked in. The four already in the room stared in shock at the person before them. No one dared to speak as The Giver of S-3 stepped into the room with her S-Class assistant at her side. She walked up to Alfred, standing beside the S-Class interrogating him, and stared at him blankly.

"Alfred Jones, it has come to my attention that you are resisting. The knowledge you have is valuable, and that is the only reason you have not been reconditioned. However, your time is growing thin, and these… methods, are not sufficient. If you choose to stay on this path, you will surely face something worse than you are now. Am I clear?"

Alfred just stared at the woman, never in his life had he been so close to a Giver. He wanted to tell her he wasn't going to cave, that he didn't care, but the words seemed to be caught in his throat. The Giver eyed Alfred, then the B-Classes and S-Class in the room.

"If he doesn't talk by tomorrow, I will send instructions on what to do further."

The S-Class nodded his head, and The Giver turned and left with her assistant. Alfred could only watch her go as the S-Class and B-Classes started to crowd him.

"What are your orders My Giver?" the S-Class asked, noticing the contemplative look on her face as he walked with her.

"Vincent, I want you to inform Alfred's division that he is lost," The Giver said sharply.

The S-Class nodded his head quickly, and set about fulfilling the request, but it became unneeded as a voice called out to The Giver.

"My Giver!"

The Giver and her assistant looked to find the S-Class, Arthur, heading for them. Arthur had been walking through the hospital in search of Alfred's room when he spotted The Giver of S-3.

"My Giver," he called out again, not too loud to draw too much attention.

The Giver turned to see Arthur Kirkland coming towards her. She knew Arthur well, the S-Class had been persistently asking her about Alfred.

"Arthur Kirkland," she addressed as the man got near her.

"My Giver, I, I know this is sudden and ill timed, but I must ask—"

"You wish to ask of Alfred again?"

Arthur nodded his head, feeling nervous as he stood in the lobby of the hospital. He had been searching for Alfred for five days, and The Givers had nothing to tell him; until now.

"Well if you must know, I just finished seeing him, and I'm sorry to say this, but… he did not recover like we hoped."

Arthur stared at The Giver blankly as he heard this.

"W-What do you mean?" He asked unbelieving.

"Alfred Jones is unsalvageable. I'll be having someone to clean out his desk soon," she said simply.

"A-Alfred is…"

Arthur still held a blank expression on his face, unsure of how to process the information.

"He is just another loss due to the Radicals, Arthur. Now, if you shall excuse me."

Arthur stepped aside as The Giver started to walk on, leaving him in stunned silence.

_'Unsalvageable…'_

"Excuse me? Are you alright?"

Arthur came out of his trance at hearing this, and turned to see a C-Class nurse looking at him.

"Ah, I'm fine. Just leaving," Arthur said as calmly as possible, then turned and headed to his transport outside.

He slipped into the transport quickly, and rested his head on the steering wheel. His mind was buzzing with thoughts and questions. He had known that Alfred wasn't alright when they recovered him, having been told by Matthew and his team about how Alfred tried to fight them off. He knew that Alfred needed help, but he knew that Alfred was strong, that he couldn't just die in a hospital bed. He couldn't accept it.

_'Maybe it's the lack of relaxers that makes me feel this way…'_

Arthur felt his chest tighten painfully as he sat in his transport, and his eyes started to tear up.

"I only got to see him once. I, I didn't even-" Arthur cut himself off as the pain in his chest increased.

_"Good morning Arthur. You seem distressed, perhaps a relaxer can help."_

Arthur looked up to the smiley face as the tray of pills popped out. An undeniable urge to punch the face and break the tray came over him, but he didn't give in. He knew if he did it would bring trouble. He took the pills with a shaky hand, but didn't take them. He rubbed at his face with his free hand, as he thought back to how The Giver told him of Alfred's death, and just recalling her blank face made him angry.

_'I have held in doubt and worry, just to be told Alfred is dead. They never told me he was moved to another wing. They didn't even tell me what they would do for him when I first asked about getting him home!'_

_"Good morning Arthur. You seem distressed, perhaps a relaxer can help."_

Arthur snapped out of his thoughts, and made a move to punch the smiley face, but stopped short of punching his windshield. He blinked a few times as he realized what he nearly had done, then sat back down in his seat. He opened his hand as he felt something odd in it, and he found the relaxers were crushed in his palm. He didn't know what to make of this, or anything anymore, as he stared at his hand.

Unlike other citizens, S-Class citizens had a more in-depth knowledge, and because of this they had an understanding of emotions. They never experienced emotion, like everyone else, but they knew what they were in order to understand The Givers and The Radicals.

_'Just go to work.'_

This stray thought seemed to tame Arthur's mind and the influx of emotions. He started his transport and drove back to work feeling numb. When he returned he walked into his office and sat down. He stared at the work he had been dealing with, but didn't have the motivation to get back to. The Givers were still coordinating B-Classes and S-Classes to attack the Radicals, and Arthur was still in charge of assisting in the effort.

"Commissioner?"

Arthur looked up slowly to see Kiku at his door.

"Ah, yes, do come in. Is there something wrong?" Arthur asked as naturally as he could.

Kiku moved forward into the room and sat down in front of Arthur's desk.

"I was wanting to, know how your visit went."

The two of them just stared at each other, Kiku eagerly awaiting an answer and Arthur afraid to give it.

"I, I couldn't find him, however… I found The Giver and she, told me he was, unsalvageable. He didn't recover."

Kiku stared blankly at Arthur then gave a soft "Oh." Arthur scanned Kiku's face, but he couldn't tell what the other was thinking. Kiku had always been more reserved than other B-Classes, even in his birth group.

"I see," Kiku drawled finally after some time, "may I share this news with the others?"

Arthur nodded his head then Kiku gave a short nod in return, before getting up and leaving the room. Kiku walked over to Kyle's cubical, then Yong Soo's, and then Matthew's. He told them he needed to talk to them in the briefing room. Neither of them found it suspicious and walked with Kiku to the room. Once the door was shut, Kiku relayed what Arthur had told him. Everyone had stunned expressions on their faces, no one knew how to take the news. They had been conditioned to not fear death, that it was something to spend a few minutes mourning over then moving on, but for some reason, it was difficult to accept. Difficult to understand that Alfred wasn't coming back.

By the end of the work day, Kiku had found that his usually timely and effective work had fallen behind greatly. Things that he would have finished in seconds still had yet to be completed, and he had found that a deep unsettling feeling rested in his chest. He had tried to ignore it, but it was persistent and nagging. Even as he walked out of the building to head to his apartment it was still there, but when it finally stopped it was at the mention of Alfred Jones. Out of all the usual noise of the city, Alfred's name had stuck out. Kiku instantly slowed his walking, and looked out the corner of his eye to see two B-Classes talking beside him.

"I don't think the B-Class will ever talk though."

"I don't know... He was pretty close today."

"Yeah…I can't believe he actually, you know."

"I know, Jones is disgusting."

The two B-Classes agreed with each other then turned to cross a street; leaving Kiku disconcert, as he stood completely still on the sidewalk.

* * *

***Whoo finally f*ckin finished this chapter! Still MORE to come, and thank you all for sticking with me so far! Reviews welcomed!***


	11. Chapter 11

  **11**

"Hey, you okay Kiku?"

The B-Class jumped slightly as a hand came to his shoulder, bringing him from his stunned state. Kiku turned to the side just as the owner of the hand on his shoulder moved to be in his line of sight.

"Oh, Matthew," Kiku said a little surprised.

"Yeah, it's me. You okay? I saw you just standing here, and thought you needed help."

"O-Oh, no, I'm fine," Kiku replied, though that was not the case.

He wanted to tell Matthew about what he just heard, but he wasn't sure how to bring it up.

"Alright, well come on, we'll miss the transport home if we keep standing here," Matthew said with a soft smile, as he took his hand off Kiku's shoulder.

Kiku nodded his head in agreement, and followed Matthew through the crowded sidewalk to the transport stop. They scanned their ID cards as he stepped onto the bus for payment and took an available seat. They sat next to each other in silence, and though Matthew wasn't bothered by this Kiku was. He wanted to tell Matthew what he had heard, but he was conflicted. All his life The Givers had been nothing but truthful and wise, yet after hearing from their Giver that Alfred was dead, then to hear of him alive, in some form at least, was bothersome.

_'The Giver would not lie about a death. Arthur wouldn't lie either, he and Alfred were friends; he cared for Alfred.'_

_"I don't think the B-Class will ever talk though."_

_"I don't know... He was pretty close today."_

_"Yeah…I can't believe he actually, you know."_

_"I know, Jones is disgusting."_

_'What happened to Alfred?'_

The unsettling feeling Kiku had felt back at work returned more intense than before. He felt worried, but also so much more. He knew one thing for sure, something was not right, and Alfred needed help.

When the transport came to a graceful stop, Kiku stood with Matthew and walked off the transport. They walked to their apartment building, and got into the elevator that would take them to their respective floors.

"Matthew, could you come to my room for a moment. It won't take long," Kiku said calmly.

"Sure, it'd be nice to spend some time with someone," Matthew said in a quiet voice.

Kiku just nodded his head, and as Matthew's floor was passed over they arrived at Kiku's. He led the way down the narrow hallway of green carpet and cream walls to go to his room.

 _"Welcome back Kiku,"_ came the automatic voice of a smiley face as it appeared on a screen near the door.

"It's been awhile since I've last visited," Matthew admitted as he walked into the room.

Kiku's apartment was painted a creamy white, decorated with a few meaningless paintings, and well cared for plants. Matthew set his bag on the couch in Kiku's living room, then turned to find Kiku looking around as if trying to decide on something.

"Kiku?"

The black haired man gave a small nod to himself, as he finally came to a decision, and looked up at Matthew.

"Can you come to my bathroom? I want to get your opinion on something."

Matthew gave an odd look to his friend, but consented and followed him to the bathroom. There Kiku closed the door and leaned against it.

"Kiku, what's going on? I know that hearing about Alfred today has put us all out of sorts, but you really are acting strange," Matthew said with concern in his voice.

Kiku stared at Matthew blankly at first, then a look of determination came to his face.

"Matthew, I have to tell you something important."

"What is it, and do you have to tell me in the bathroom?"

Matthew was completely at a loss for what was going on in his friend's head.

"When you saw me standing on the sidewalk… I, I had just heard something shocking." Matthew waited expectantly as Kiku said this. "Alfred is alive."

"What?"

"Alfred is alive. I overheard two B-Classes talking about him. I heard them say his name, then when I listen to what they were saying…"

"What, but… What did they say?!" Matthew asked demandingly as he got into Kiku's personal space.

"They said something about making him talk, and that he was disgusting for doing something. I don't know the details but that is what I heard."

Matthew stared at Kiku in disbelief, and moved to sit down on the toilet. Kiku watched as his expression turned to one of confusion, his brow furrowing as he tried to think.

"But, Arthur said…Arthur said, the Giver had said, that Alfred had died. That would mean the Giver had deceived us," Matthew said slowly as he tried to think, and looked up to Kiku.

The man just nodded his head and moved to lean against a wall.

"It seems we have been lied to. Why else would two B-Classes be talking of Alfred in such a manner?"

"What if it was a different Alfred?" Matthew suggested, but by the deadpan look on Kiku's face he knew it wasn't true.

All citizens in the Grand Haven World had one name individually, no name was alike, the reason for this, was to not have misunderstandings. Misunderstandings led to violence amongst the people, and The Givers didn't want that.

"The Giver lied to us, Arthur too, possibly, since he was a friend of Alfred's like us."

Matthew sat silently on the toilet amazed at what he was hearing, and how likely it appeared that Alfred was indeed alive. He felt worry come over him as he wondered where Alfred could be. Just like Arthur, he too was aware that Alfred had been moved from his hospital room. He didn't know what to really think about this but worry, worry for his twin, his friend.

"We need to get him," Matthew found himself saying.

"What?" Kiku asked, not sure if he heard his friend correctly.

Matthew lifted his head up as he felt a strong sense of determination settle in his chest.

"We need to rescue Alfred. Wherever he is, he needs us! If The Giver can go so far as to say he died, when he supposedly hadn't, then something is deeply wrong," Matthew stated firmly as he felt something stronger than irritation working through him. It made him feel hot, as if he was burning up, and he knew he had felt like this once before; when Alfred had first been taken.

Kiku thought this over and could see the logic in it. He wasn't sure how they'd do such a thing since they had no way of knowing where Alfred was, but he was going to try. He had his worries about the situation with Alfred ever since they brought him home, but being a B-Class, he wasn't able to do anything about it. He could only watch, but now that was going to change.

"Alright, but how? We alone cannot find him and free him, Matthew."

"That's why we'd tell the rest of our team, and Arthur too," Matthew said as he stood up from the toilet.

"Can we trust him?"

Matthew shrugged his shoulders, then paused and nodded his head.

"He cared for Alfred like we cared for him. He may be an S-Class, but he was a friend, plus if he helps us, it will be much easier for us to find Alfred."

"That is true, since he is in the top class he is able to access more things than we would ever be able to," Kiku said as he nodded his head.

Matthew nodded his head in agreement.

"We should tell everyone as soon as possible. We can't wait another day, Alfred could actually be on the brink of death," Matthew said, the urge to do something about Alfred overtaking him.

"I agree, but we can't," Kiku said quickly, and he kept his eyes on Matthew. "If we are to have Arthur on our side we would only be able to see him at work. S-Classes don't really socialize with anyone below A-Class outside of work," Kiku said. "It also might seem suspicious for us and the others to go find Arthur at this hour."

Matthew frowned at hearing this, and had a snarl escape him as he felt his irritation growing. He felt like he could explode any second as he stood before Kiku in his bathroom. He didn't feel helpful just standing in a bathroom. He didn't feel like his usual self, and it bothered him.

_'What am I doing…?'_

This stray thought made Matthew run a hand through his hair and over his face. He took a deep breath, then said:

"Fine, fine… We'll tell everyone at work, act like it's a briefing meeting."

Kiku only nodded, and Matthew moved to go to the bathroom door. He grabbed the knob, but Kiku put a hand on his shoulder, which startled him a bit.

"Relax Matthew, if you leave here like this the screens will come on."

Matthew gave a confused look to hearing this, then realized why Kiku had them come to his bathroom. Screens were forbidden in bathrooms, and since they had to talk about something so sensitive it only made sense.

"Right, right, sorry. I just, I feel so overwhelmed, and then some…" he said trailing off, not really sure how to word his feelings.

Kiku just nodded his head in understanding, and when Matthew was calm enough he left the bathroom. Kiku offered him tea before he left, but Matthew turned him down and wished him a good night, before leaving the apartment.

** :/:/:/:/:   
**

When the next day arrived, Matthew was startled awake by his alarm. He groaned as he picked himself up out of bed and turned off his alarm.

_"Good morning Matthew. You are important. Your life purpose is an important purpose do not forget."_

Matthew yawned as he heard the familiar voice of the smiley face appearing on a screen. He looked over to the yellow face floating on the screen forever smiling. He hadn't slept well since Kiku told him the news about Alfred, and as he looked at the face a sense of melancholy came over him. His life had been simple like another B-Class's, but now, now things were getting complicated. Now he had worries, doubts, and something stronger than irritation constantly in him. Even when he took his relaxers he still didn't feel like he normally would. He didn't know how to explain it, and he didn't know if he ever should.

Matthew ran a hand through his hair as he stopped looking at the face on the screen.

_'Just focus on today. Alfred needs you.'_

With this in mind Matthew went about getting ready for the day. Rushing about his square apartment getting ready for work, and what all else the day had in store for him. As he was heading out the door the screen beside it lit up and said:

_"Let's start our day stress free."_

Matthew automatically grabbed the relaxers dispensed to him, but as he brought his hand to his mouth he stopped. He pulled his hand back and looked at the pale blue pills with uncertainty.

 _'Do I really need them today?'_ he found himself asking, as if he was searching for a reason why he stopped midway of taking his daily relaxers.

A sense of guilt and worry settled onto his shoulders as he looked at the pills, then looked at the screen, which still held the smiling face. He looked back at the pills, then closed his eyes as he shakily moved his hand to put the pills into the pocket of his uniform pants. When he let them go in his pocket, he let out a deep breath and pulled open his front door.

_"Have a good day Matthew!"_

Matthew arrived at work alongside Kiku and other B-Class security citizens. They took the elevator to their floor in silence, and once off set to work as if everything was normal. It wasn't until noon that Kiku told his teammates to go to the old briefing room, and Matthew went to get Arthur.

Matthew knocked on Arthur's door before getting the okay to enter. When he walked in he hadn't expected Arthur to look as worn out as he did. The S-Class looked like he hadn't slept at all and his hair was unkempt.

"What can I do for you Matthew?" Arthur asked as he watched Matthew come in.

"I, Arthur can you come to the old briefing room? Me and the team have something important to discuss," Matthew said vaguely but quickly, not wanting to back out after coming so far.

Arthur gave a skeptical look at first, he knew the old briefing room was basically a storage area now. The scanners and other tech with in the room had grown outdated or broken, and it had always been treated as a spare room. Arthur looked Matthew over as he thought about his request, then nodded his head and stood from his desk. Matthew had relief wash over him as Arthur agreed, and followed the man out to the room to go to the briefing room. Once inside, Matthew closed the door behind him, and everyone looked at him and Arthur.

"So, what is it you need to discuss?" Arthur asked curiously as he looked at everyone.

Kiku looked to Matthew at the question, and Matthew nodded his head, then moved to take a seat on the table beside him.

"It's about Alfred. We are all his friends, right?" Matthew asked, and everyone in the room instantly had a somber look come to their faces, and nodded their heads. "Kiku overheard a conversation that negates Alfred's death," Matthew finished.

"Wait, you're saying Alfred is still alive?" Kyle asked bewilderedly, as he looked between Matthew and Kiku.

"Yes, I overheard two B-Classes speaking poorly of Alfred, and how they were going to make him talk, yesterday after work. I did not get all the details of their conversation, but I know they said Alfred's name. You all know how no one's name is alike," Kiku said as he looked at his team and Arthur.

Everyone was silent as they took this in. Arthur had wide eyes as he thought this over and a sense of relief flooded him.

"But, how can that be? Arthur said The Giver told him Alfred passed," Yong Soo stated confused.

Matthew went to answer this, but Arthur spoke up first.

"Yes well, it appears I've been lied to. I had a feeling Alfred couldn't have just died, he's much too strong to be taken down my mental damage," Arthur said with a bitter tone coming to his voice.

The B-Classes stared at Arthur as he said this, then looked to each other.

"If, if he's alive, then why would The Giver lie?" Kyle asked.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. Alfred must be in trouble if he had been proclaimed dead," Arthur said, and Matthew and Kiku agreed with him.

"That's why we asked you guys to come here. We need to find and rescue Alfred," Matthew stated.

Arthur agreed with them, but Kyle and Yong Soo stayed silent, both uncertain of how things could have come to be. Kiku picked up on this and got closer to them.

"Kyle, Yong Soo, I know this may seem hard to grasp, I am still struggling with it myself, but the evidence is there. Evidence that something bad happened to Alfred and The Givers don't want us to know about it. We all saw how he acted when we took him home, and we all saw what happened once he was hospitalized. Something is wrong and we need to help, we need to fix it," Kiku said firmly, and looked at everyone in the room as he said the last few sentences.

"He's right, and we need help from all of you to come up with a plan and save Alfred," Matthew added with a stern tone to his voice, as he stood up from the table.

Arthur watched as Kyle and Yong Soo agreed to help, and when everyone looked at him he felt relief. He felt relief that he wasn't the only one to think Alfred couldn't have just died so easily, relief that he wasn't the only one feeling doubt and worry. He knew that the B-Classes didn't fully understand the emotions they must be filling, unlike him, but he could tell they were loyal and determined to save Alfred. Not a single one of them looked afraid to face what would come from their actions.

"I'll help. Alfred was as dear to me as he was to the lot of you," Arthur said, and instantly a weight seemed to lift off of him a little.

Matthew had a smile come to his face at hearing this, and put a hand on Arthur's shoulder and squeezed it.

"Glad to hear it. Now we need a plan. We have to find where Alfred is then get him somewhere safe," Matthew said

"I think I know," Arthur piped in, "When I saw The Giver it was at the hospital, she had said she had just seen him. So Alfred must still be at the hospital in a wing we don't know about, since he was moved to another wing, or so I was told by one of the nurses."

"That makes sense," Yong Soo said, "but we still have to find his wing."

"What if we use our screens to find him?" Kiku suggested. "Arthur, you have more clearance than we do so you can surely find something in the hospital records."

Arthur furrowed his brow as he thought about this, he knew he was good with technology, but he wasn't sure he was good enough to find such records on Alfred. He usually needed clearance from The Givers to get anything extremely vital.

"I can try, but I usually need clearance into more vital files, and I'm assuming Alfred would be in them. A Giver's clearance is just a code, but it's only good for the one clearance."

"What if we made it good for the medical clearance?" Kyle asked. "Yong Soo could probably do that, I've seen him tamper with your code to get extended time on his projects he kept slacking off on," Kyle said as he looked at Arthur.

"I wasn't slacking off, I was just busy," Yong Soo huffed out, "and why did you tell him you dunce," he added with a hiss.

Arthur arched a brow at hearing this, and looked at Yong Soo who gave a sheepish grin and tried to act like nothing happened.

"I see, so that's how you was able to submit your work past the due dates. Well, no matter. Whatever it is that you do, we can only hope it can work the same way on a Giver's code."

Yong Soo nodded his head, but sent a glare towards Kyle who gave a nervous smile.

"Alright, then Yong Soo you will change one of Arthur's most recent codes to make it active for hospital clearance. You do have one don't you," Matthew asked.

Arthur nodded his head and pulled out his data screen.

"I do, I got an assignment today, which I'll be needing to deal with in a few minutes. I'm being sent to the front lines for last minute planning and need the code for documentation. As you know we will be moving out again in a few days."

"That's true, can I see you screen?" Kiku asked and Arthur showed them his assignment on his screen.

"This could work for us," Matthew said as he looked at the screen as well.

"I agree, we will need a way of getting Alfred to safety and ourselves, whether or not we are successful in retrieving him, and the only place that Alfred has been, and was possibly okay, was with—"

"The Radicals," Arthur filled in, cutting Kiku off.

Kiku nodded his head, and Matthew just sighed knowing that was their only option. He wasn't too keen on the idea of being with savages, but it was all they had, and he could only hope that having Alfred with them would not get them killed.

"Have we found out where the Radicals are even hiding?" Matthew asked.

Arthur shook his head no before speaking.

"No, but I bet I could do some scouting to see if I can find any Radical's near the front lines, or at least some place that looks like we could hide safely. Though I'm not sure if I'd be able to scout ahead like that easily by a transport."

"What about the drones?" Matthew suggested.

Everyone gave a nod as they realized that Matthew's suggestion would be extremely helpful.

"Drones would help, but…don't those have tracking, and Arthur can't fly those?" Yong Soo said as he looked at the group.

A heavy silence filled the room for a moment until Matthew spoke up again.

"The tracking won't matter, will it? I mean, if you find someone, you could just take the drone off course then walk to them."

"Yeah, and Heracles is a laid back guy, so if you just told him that The Giver gave an order for him to assist you; I'm sure he'd do it," Kyle said.

Kiku nodded in agreement, knowing full well that Heracles was more relaxed than most S-Classes, his whole birth group was like that, but all were worthy of S-Class ranking.

"That is true, and we have become good friends," Arthur added. "Alright, alright," Arthur paused to look at his data screen to see the time. "I don't have much time left, so let's wrap this up. Since I'm going to the front lines today, I will stop by the flight division and get Heracles' assistance, then on the front lines I will do my assignment as well as scout ahead for any possible Radicals that might be watching us in hiding. When, and hopefully, I am successful, we will go about getting Alfred free, correct?" Arthur asked feeling a bit enthusiastic about their plan.

"Right, we will get Alfred tomorrow, Yong Soo will change your code, and at night we will get Alfred and head out to safety," Matthew added in. "Is that agreeable?"

Everyone nodded their heads, and Arthur felt more at ease than he had in weeks.

"Alright, but how will we get Alfred out exactly?" asked Kiku.

"Well, we know that he'll be in hospital, and once we have the code we can use it find him and retrieve him," informed Arthur.

"We can go during the night, tomorrow night, neither one of us know how much longer Alfred can hold out, and we can't risk it," Matthew stated as he looked at everyone, "We can go over to the hospital separately, then meet up at the back and go from there. Any objections?"

Matthew scanned the room to see his friends at peace with their makeshift plan. He nodded his head to them, and they returned the gesture. It was after this that Arthur checked the time and took a deep breath at knowing what was to come next.

"Good, then I shall head out now to see Heracles," Arthur said, "I need to be on the transport out to the lines soon."

Everyone nodded, and the man turned and left the room. Arthur went to his office to gather his things he'd need for his assignment, then called for a replacement S-Class. When he was in the elevator, he took it upwards a few floors and stepped out into a hallway. He walked through the halls, and found the flight division behind a black door. When it slid open he found the room to be sparsely manned, and Heracles nodding off as he moved a gyro ball on his console. He didn't pay any mind to Arthur as he came into his room, and only looked up to him when he got to his side.

"Arthur? What are you doing here?" he asked, as he let out a yawn and stopped the drone he was piloting.

"I'm here for your assistance. The Giver has sent me an oral message stating that I can have your assistance in my assignment today," Arthur said, and pulled out his data screen and held it out in front of Heracles. "I just need to do some scouting to plan for our attacks on the Radicals, and the use of your drones would make it easier for me."

Heracles looked away from the screen, then up to Arthur, who inwardly hoped he didn't look as nervous as he felt.

"Okay." Arthur inwardly sighed in relief at hearing this. "This is good timing actually. We received a new drone that is rideable and able to camouflage. It would be nice to use it in the field finally."

Arthur smiled at the news and nodded his head.

"Well I'm glad I could be available for this moment. I'll contact you when I'm ready, I'm leaving for the lines now."

Heracles nodded his head and Arthur nodded back, before turning and leaving the room. He got back to the elevators and took one down to his awaiting transport, and from there he was headed out of S-3 City. It didn't take long for him to be driven out to the front lines that resided 6,000 km outside of the 1,000km line. After the fight with the Radicals at the 6,000km line the B and S-Classes had set up base there, and had been steadily expanding their search radius for the Radicals. No one knew what lied in the unsalvageable lands, thus progress was slow.

When Arthur arrived at the lines, tents littered the area, along with tables and B and S-Classes talking amongst themselves. The terrain was flat, which was typical for anything outside of the cities, just dirt and shrubbery as far as the eye could see. Arthur squinted as he looked out at the horizon under the noon sun, then looked to his right to see someone walking to him. An S-Class by the looks of it, in his cities dark blue uniform marked with two red stripes and one bright blue stripe between them.

"Arthur Kirkland?"

"Yes, I'll be here to assist in planning and to do some scouting of my own," Arthur said as he looked at the woman before him as he took out his data screen.

"Scouting?" she asked as she skimmed through the information on Arthur's assignment then handed it back.

"Yes, I received oral clearance to have Heracles of the flight division to assist me. He said he'd be using a transportation drone to help me."

The woman gave an "Oh" to this and nodded her head, not questioning Arthur in the slightest, which she had no reason to. The word of a Giver said through a fellow S-Class, is as lawful as if The Giver said it in person.

Arthur worked through his assignment with diligence, eager to get to his alternative assignment. He was still troubled about their plans however, and worried that something could go wrong or worse, but he tried to keep those worries down. He knew if he got irritable in front of the S-Classes at the front lines he'd surely be forced to take relaxers, which he hadn't done since he had asked The Givers of Alfred when he was still missing. He didn't want to go back to that, he didn't want to see the world through a fog any longer. He was taking a chance, a risk, and he wasn't going to let it go to waste.

The rhythmic beeping of Arthur's ear piece brought him from his thoughts. He pressed on the button to hear Heracles's voice coming through, and asking if he was ready yet.

"I just finished. I'll be getting to the drone now," Arthur replied, then after getting acknowledged by Heracles tired voice he hung up.

Arthur stood from the table he had been working at, and left the tent to head to weapon storage. He found the drone he was meant to take, sitting outside the tent and waiting. The machine was smooth black metal, which looked like a glider he'd seen in history books. The cabin of it hung below the wings, and he slipped into it to find the inside lit up. A panoramic screen was before him showing him the outside world and a console of controls. He contacted Heracles with his earpiece, as he shut the door and got comfortable in the small space.

"Alright, I'm in and ready."

 _"Got it Arthur. Just stay relaxed, it's like being in a normal passenger drone only built for one,"_ Heracles stated as he started to roll his gyro ball backwards.

Arthur felt his heart race in his chest as he felt the drone lift off the ground smoothly. His green eyes were wide as he saw the ground fall away from him through the screen. Heracles could see the same thing from his screen at his console.

_"Where to?"_

"Uh, to the west, that's where we saw the most Radicals coming from," Arthur said, a little nervous from being so high off the ground.

_"Okay."_

When Heracles said this, a purple track appeared on Arthur's screen that had a compass with the W in bold, and the drone shot off into that direction.

"Mercy Giver! My Word!" Arthur shouted as he felt himself speed off.

 _"Sorry, this drone is actually a little slower than others, so I have to start up at a high speed,"_ Heracles said and he slowed his gyro ball down.

"I-It's quite alright, I was just surprised," Arthur said as he took a deep breath.

Heracles let out a weak chuckle at hearing this, and put his head in his free hand as he piloted Arthur's drone.

_"Oh, Arthur, your screen can zoom in and out if you need it to. It's the arrow buttons on the console. You can also camouflage too that buttons on your left."_

Arthur gave a sound of understanding and pressed the arrows to see the screen do as it should. He also clicked the camouflage button, not wanting to take chances as he flew above everything.

_"Huh?"_

"What? What just happened?" Arthur asked a bit frantically, not sure if Heracles had just found a Radical, or something bad happened with the drone he didn't know yet.

 _"Relax Arthur, I was just surprised. What did you just press on your console?"_ Heracles asked as he stared at his screens on his console.

"The camouflage, why?"

_"It seems there's a glitch with this model that wasn't in the others. I can't see you on my tracker. You've really camouflaged yourself. All I can see is your display screen of you heading west."_

Arthur was stunned as he heard this. He was flying undetected.

_'I, I hadn't even thought about trackers and yet…'_

Arthur had a grin break out on his face, and a giddy almost thrilling feeling came over him. He knew of what he needed to do since the drone could be tracked, but now he didn't have worry about it. No matter where he went there wouldn't be any record of it, unless The Givers took the time to view his screen's footage, but even thing it would be hard to pinpoint his location.

_"Arthur?"_

"O-Oh, yes I heard you. I was surprised myself. Will you still be able to fly me around for scouting?" Arthur asked and hoped dearly the answer was yes.

_"Yeah, I don't really feel like having to turn back now. We were 2,000 km out before I lost your signal."_

"Alright."

Arthur and Heracles scanned the unsalvageable lands for hours, the sun even starting to set while they was out. It was around this time that Heracles said he wanted to call it quits since his work day was going to end in two hours.

"Just a little more, Heracles," Arthur pleaded as he rubbed his tired eyes.

Heracles just gave a hum and yawned.

 _'Come on, come on, come on,'_ Arthur inwardly chanted, feeling irate with not finding anything.

As another hour ticked by Arthur immediately shouted for Heracles to stop the drone and keep it at hover. The man nearly fell out of his chair at the demand and loose his grip on his gyro ball. He quickly righted himself and did as Arthur asked.

"What is it?" he asked as he looked at the dark screen.

He was going to tell Arthur to switch the screen to infrared, when the man silenced him and told him to set the drone down.

"Just set it down right here," Arthur said, a rush of adrenaline was pumping through him as he knew he had spotted someone not far from his drone.

He knew he should have seen about switching views to infrared, but if he was correct, then Heracles would know too that a Radical was outside.

When the drone touched down, Arthur carefully and quietly opened the cabin door and stepped out of it. He told Heracles he'd be back shortly, claiming he had to use the bathroom again, and cut off communication with him. He moved carefully into the direction he had seen the person, and sure enough he came upon someone. They had binoculars in their hands, as they laid across a vehicle parked sideways. Arthur had had a feeling that backtracking as the sun set would be a good idea, and he had been proven right. They were only 5,000 km from the Grand Haven World front lines.

Arthur approached the person, and he only moved a few steps, before the person pulled off their binoculars and turned their head towards him. Warm blue eyes instantly locked onto tired green, and both stared at each other. Arthur took in the person's appearance, shabby worn out clothing consisting of dull red pants, a black t-shirt, and a brown jacket.

"You're a Radical, aren't you?" Arthur asked a little nervous.

The person smiled softly and set down his binoculars.

"I am, and you're a B-Class of Grand Haven," he said simply.

Arthur stared at this man blankly, then narrowed his eyes at him. He had a strange feeling about the man, he wasn't sure what to call it, but he knew he couldn't let it hinder his mission.

"No, I'm S-Class, but look, I didn't come to fight. I came for help."

The man cocked his head to the side at hearing this, he was surprised to find an S-Class asking for help. He was aware that S-Classes had more free range than a B-Class, but to come out at night to find help, from a Radical no less, was just interesting. He knew he should be suspicious, but it took a back seat to his interest. He moved a few steps closer to Arthur as he stared at him.

"Ask me, for help?" he asked disbelieving.

Arthur looked at the man with his suspicious look still on his face.

"Yes, you know of Ivan correct?"

The Radical arched a brow at hearing this name, and moved to get closer to Arthur.

"I know of him. He was shot, by one of you," the man said flatly.

Arthur wide-eyed at hearing this, he could only hope that whether or not Ivan was dead, that they would still get help from the Radicals. Arthur looked back to the man to voice his plans when he noticed the Radical had gotten closer to him. The Radical was an arm's length away now.

"W-Well, I'm, sorry, to hear that, but you must know about Alfred then?" Arthur inquired as an uncomfortable feeling settled in his gut as the man's blue eyes looked at him.

He didn't know why, but the way the man stared at him made him irritated but also embarrassed. However, when he mentioned Alfred the man's face took on a blank expression.

"What about him? He's your citizen isn't he? You took him back."

"Well, I and his team have come to find that Alfred, Alfred is in trouble. My Giver had told me that he had died, but it came to light that he was actually alive today," Arthur stated, and looked at the Radical before him with worry.

"Mon Dieu…What is it that you've come for?" the Radical asked.

"Alfred's team and I are going to rescue him, tomorrow night, but we need a place to go."

The man gave a hum as he heard this, then nodded his head.

"You seek refuge amongst us savages," the Radical said, and inched a little closer to Arthur.

The man was nearly nose to nose with Arthur now, and even though he tried to hide that he was uncomfortable, Arthur knew he was failing at it. The Radical was so close that Arthur could see his face so clearly; a light beard along his jaw, warm blue eyes, and long blonde hair pulled back. Arthur didn't know what to think at this moment, and just backed away.

"Y-Yes, we seek refuge," he said adding a firmer tone as he backed up. "We, we plan on taking a transport out of the city, and we hope to meet with you to lead us to your city," Arthur finished.

The Radical sighed as he moved to give Arthur some space, then nodded his head.

"Very well, Alfred was good company when he was here, and we will do our best to help. However, your vehicle can not exceed the 1,000km line," The Radical said as he pointed a finger at Arthur. He knew full well of the chips within each citizen, and he wasn't going to have them compromising his home's location. "I will meet you at the line on the south west end with my own vehicle and pick you up. Sound good?"

Arthur could only nod his head as the Radical gave him a smirk. Arthur sighed exasperatedly as he found himself feeling irritated again by the man before him. He didn't know why, but he guessed it had something to do with his face or his aura.

"Yes, but we aren't sure how long it will take to get out there though."

"Not a problem," the Radical said with a soft smile on his lips.

"Yes, well, thank you, and I must be going," Arthur stated, then moved to leave the Radical, but his arm was caught.

Arthur stumbled back, but didn't fall, and turned to see the man holding his arm and eyeing him.

"I did not catch your name mon amour."

Arthur glared at the man and took his arm from him quickly. He gave a huff and had half a mind to walk away, but stayed.

"It's Arthur, Arthur Kirkland. Yours?"

"Francis Bonnefoy," Francis said as he smiled at Arthur.

"Right…Well good night Francis," Arthur said, then moved to leave.

Francis eyed Arthur as he walked away, and smiled brightly as the man turned back to look at him then started to walk faster. When Francis couldn't see Arthur any longer he let out a sigh, and moved to get into his car and head back to the city. The whole drive back he could think of nothing else, but Alfred's rescue and Arthur Kirkland.

When he arrived in Radical City, he drove up to the Braginsky home, and walked up and into the home with a smile on his face. He looked around to find only Natalia on the couch and she gave a nod to him, which had him set off upstairs. He walked down the second floor hall, then opened a bedroom door to see the man he was looking for. He had suffered from a stun bullet that passed right through him, though extremely close to his heart, and also had his left arm broken during the time he was stunned, but now he was nearly back to his old self. When Francis entered his room, the Frenchmen looked at him with a smile on his face.

"Ivan, I have some interesting news."

* * *

**Translations:**

Mon Dieu – My God

mon amour – my love

***I know, I know, it's TOO FUCKIN LONG! Well, I tried to break in two, but it just looked stupid :T Sorry, and if it feels kinda lacking I'm sorry for that. I don't know if it is just me, or what, but I don't know, I feel like I could have done more on the reaction part of this chapter, but I don't know what THAT IS!*Anywho, reviews welcomed***

**XX**

***So I think I fixed the bit with Arthur and Francis. I think >J> or at least helped it? As for the reactions with the Kyle and Yong Soo, well I realized they need to lack reaction. They have not doubted The Givers like the others and thus still take their daily relaxers and then some, so it makes sense that they wouldn't be full force "FIGHT THE MAN" ya know?***


	12. Chapter 12

  **12**

 

Arthur and Alfred's team worked diligently on assignments they had already finished, as the citizens around them left for home.

"Are you guys really that set back?" came a questioning voice; it was Samuel, a B-Class who was heading out.

"Yeah," Kyle answered, "since we've been distracted with...everything, we kind of fell behind."

"And," Matthew piped in, "the Commissioner isn't letting us leave until we catch up."

The B-Class gave an indifferent look at hearing this, then shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I guess that's understandable… See you guys later."

The team gave a monotone farewell, as their co-worker stepped into the elevator with the rest of the B-Classes. Even after the door was closed, the group kept working, though Kiku glanced over to Arthur, who sat in his office working on non-existent assignments. Arthur turned his gaze to look past his work screen, and saw Kiku looking at him. Their eyes met for a moment, then broke away as they continued their work.

The group of five stayed this way for a while longer, until Arthur called Yong Soo into his office. The B-Class closed the door behind him, and the glass of Arthur's office took on an opaque tint, obscuring them from everyone's gaze.

Inside the office, Yong Soo sat in front of Arthur's desk with Arthur's data screen in hand. Arthur already had the S-3 Giver's code up for the B-Class and the page for vital records that required the code.

"So, how much longer will it take for you to complete this?" Arthur asked ambiguously as Yong Soo scrolled through text

"It shouldn't take too long. I'm used to this," Yong Soo said plainly as he kept his eyes on the screen, his fingers scrolling, typing, and flipping the images of text on the small data screen.

"Well, I hope that this doesn't drag on all night," Arthur said as he looked down at the paperwork on his desk.

"It won't, I'm sure of it," Yong Soo replied, a small smile appearing on his face.

He had just succeeded in his task, breaking into the code and activating it with a new purpose. He found it to be as easy as it was with Arthur's, and knew then that that level of security must be on all devices.

There wasn't a need for higher security when their world was perfect. The Radicals didn't hold any threat to their technology other than making it useless in battle.

"Well, I shall finish up with my assignment sir," Yong Soo said as he handed the device back to Arthur.

"Good, don't want to be here all night now," Arthur said in good humor ad Yong Soo left.

Once he was alone he kept himself obscured from view as he began to look through his personal data screen. He found that Yong Soo had actually succeeded in his task, allowing him to see the vital records, and was impressed with how quickly he achieved such a thing. A rush of enthusiastic determination settled in Arthur's stomach, as he scrolled through the files, eager to find Alfred.

He found the files marked for the medical center, and opened the file to find the usual records, but an additional folder within. Thanks to Yong Soo he was able to get into the additional folder, and what he found there was what he needed. A small list of one name was under the title of Special Wing, Alfred Jones was that name. He clicked on the name and found everything. Alfred's room and floor in the hospital, his history as a B-Class, and the reports and recordings of an S-Class doctor.

Arthur found himself drawn to these reports and videos, and started to look at any that caught his eye.

_'"The subject, Alfred Jones, Birthed group 7-4-2590-89012, is a troublesome subject. He had resisted all attempts I have made to make him speak of his time with the Radicals. […]"'_

The video footage below the first report started to play when Arthur scrolled down to it.

_"Tell me about the Radicals. Where are they hiding, what are their secrets?" "I have nothing to tell,"_ Alfred said simply, looking determined to keep silent. The S-Class of screen tsked and Alfred started to convulse in the chair he was strapped in _._

_'"[…] Threatening him and beating him seems to be steadily breaking his resistance, and I have a feeling he will break soon. […] I have found that mentioning Ivan Braginsky bothers him greatly and makes him more talkative, though not in the way you and I wish for[…]His homosexual relationship may just be what will undo his resolve for our needs.'"_

The recordings went on just as the reports, both telling of the pain that Alfred was put through. The videos depicted various scenes to make each report, the scenes of Alfred weakening day by day, but his mentality holding up. They showed Alfred in a light Arthur never thought capable of, and he felt tears coming to his eyes as he looked at his screen, and a hot grip of anger and sadness was in his throat and chest.

_"Good Evening Arthur. You seem in distress, perhaps a relaxer can help?"_

The simple voice from the screen behind him drawled its repetitive words, but Arthur didn't register it. He was consumed by the horrors he had witnessed and at that moment, whatever shred of respect and dignity he held for The Givers, was gone. He felt as if someone had stabbed a glowing hot knife into his chest.

_"Good Evening Arthur. You seem in distress, perhaps a relaxer can help?"_

_'My word, Alfred…Alfred, I—I should have—'_

Arthur couldn't finish his thoughts as a choked noise escaped his throat, a strange watery sound that brought him from his pain. He hiccupped as he got his bearings, seeing the screen in his hands was now on the desk and his vision was blurred with burning tears. He let out a strangled breath as he wiped at his face vigorously, trying to calm his heart that desperately wanted to give in to the rage pressing against it. As he silenced himself his anger took over him more than his sadness. The hot tears becoming replaced with a headache, and the fingers wiping away the nonexistent tears, were now tangled in blonde hair.

_"Good Evening Arthur. You seem in distress, perhaps a relaxer can help?"_

_'I can't believe this, I can't believe I let Alfred succumb to this. I have to tell them! I have to tell the others, but—no, no if I did...' Arthur couldn't even begin to imagine the reactions the B-Classes would give from seeing such recordings. He knew they had a right to know, but he wasn't sure if they could handle seeing what he had seen. 'This…This is unforgivable!'_

Arthur found himself lost in his heated thoughts, but was slowly dragged from them by the persistent smiley face. The S-Class dropped his hands from his hair and turned in his chair a ways to see the screen behind him. He stared at the face smiling brightly, and as before, he felt the urge to make it go away.

"This is your fault," he muttered under his breath, and stood from his desk.

He walked the two steps needed to get the relaxers from the tray, and dropped them on the floor. He proceeded to step on, and grind the pills into the carpeting with his shoe. Arthur then reached a hand to rest it on top of the screen and started to tighten his grip on the rectangle. He felt numb with anger as he started to slowly pull on the screen, trying to pull it off the wall. He had all his focus on ripping the screen free and smashing it against the floor, but a broken voice seemed to filter through his concentration. He didn't bother with it at first, but as the voice became persistent and the sound of knocking accompanied it, he found himself snapping out of his focus as the door opened. Arthur kept his back to the door as his name was called out once more.

"Arthur?"

The blonde took a shallow breath then turned his head to look at the person at his door.

"Yes?" he said as calmly as possible. Matthew, having been the one asking for him, raised a brow at the man, but continued with what he needed to say.

"We've finished our work and sent you the reports."

Arthur was silent for a moment, then gave a sound of understanding and started nodding his head. He turned around, but kept his hand out of sight, and moved to sit at his desk.

"Good, good," he said. "I'll take a look at them and send you confirmation."

Matthew nodded his head as he looked at Arthur. The man seemed on edge, which was reasonable, because of what they were doing, but there was something else about Arthur that he couldn't place.

"Is there something else you need?" Arthur asked as he noticed how Matthew seemed to stare at him.

"Oh, no, sorry." And with that, Matthew left, closing the door behind him.

Arthur took a deep breath and looked back at the screen. The smiley face was gone, but the clear plastic screen was now slightly bent. He looked back at his hand, seeing the fingertips had turned an angry red and one of his nails had cracked from digging into the screen.

_'Isn't this just perfect.'_ Arthur thought to himself bitterly then let out another breath. _'Keep it together.'_

Arthur shook himself mentally, then opened his work screen to see everyone's fake assignments. He signed off on each one at normal intervals, each having a little comment added to the text, and one by one the B-Classes left their desks and exited the office. When the last one was sent Arthur sprang up from his chair and pocketed his personal screen, and rushed out of his office just in time to see Yong Soo about to leave.

"Hold the elevator for me," Arthur called just as Yong Soo stepped into the tube.

The B-Class nodded and kept the doors open for Arthur as he slipped in, and the two rode it down to the garage. In the garage level they headed to their transports, but Yong Soo discovered that his transport wouldn't start. Arthur came to assist and, seeing that the transport wouldn't function, offered Yong Soo a ride, which he humbly accepted. They got into the transport and headed off to where they would meet the others.

They pulled up into the parking garage of the hospital, walking casually through the connecting tunnel, before slipping into the nearby stairwell. The two moved swiftly with Arthur's screen showing them the layout of the hospital. When they reached the bottom of the stairwell they opened the last door that led into the back area. It was a dimly lit, spacious, and clean back alley that would be their meeting place, but it was occupied. Arthur and Yong Soo froze as they saw someone tossing trash out, a D-Class by the look of their uniform.

Arthur was at a loss for how to go around them, but as he watched the D-Class work, he had an idea. Arthur put a finger to his lips as he looked back at Yong Soo, then walked over to the D-Class. Yong Soo watched anxiously as Arthur straightened up, putting on an air of authority. The man stepped up to the D-Class, who jumped at his sudden appearance. Arthur exchanged words with him, and a moment later the man was nodding his head frantically, then he grabbed his cart and rushed back to the main entryway. Yong Soo moved behind one of the many support pillars as the D-Class rushed by.

"What did you say?" Yong Soo inquired as he came out from hiding.

"Oh, something along the lines of, 'you should be _very_ careful about how you do your job'," Arthur said.

"A threat?"

"More or less," Arthur said simply, then moved on to look down the alley way.

Yong Soo grinned and shook his head, then stopped as he heard a harsh whisper from behind him.

" _Psst! Young Soo!"_

The black haired man turned around to see Matthew looking at him from behind a pillar. Yong Soo waved him over and Matthew and the others followed behind him.

"Where's Arthur?" Kiku asked, as he noticed the man wasn't in sight.

"Right here," Arthur called from the far right. "I'm just checking if any more visitors would be arriving. Everything is clear," he continued, "but we need to hurry to the stairwell."

Everyone nodded in agreement and, with Arthur in the lead, headed for the stairwell that would take them to Alfred's floor. They climbed the stairs briskly in silence, and made it to the 5th floor without incident. Arthur peered through the small window on the door to see a plain painted hall dimly lit and deserted. He slowly inched his way through the door. One by one the others followed suit until the entire group had exited the stairwell. They tiptoed through the halls, and Arthur scrolled through the map to find Alfred's room. As he scanned over the map he turned a corner, but was instantly jerked back, causing him to flail his arms as he was nearly pulled to the ground. A soft shush was directed at him, and he looked up to see Matthew's stern face as he cocked his head to the side. He then let go of Arthur so he could look around the corner himself, and what he saw were two C-Class nurses walking towards them. He looked at the two owlishly, then snapped back to look at Matthew and the other's to see if they had any ideas.

"You guys," came Kyle's soft voice, as he open a door from behind them.

Everyone instantly whipped their heads towards the voice, and saw the open door. The group scurried into the room, trying not to make a sound. They had barely closed the door before the C-Classes rounded the corner. Everyone tensed as the clicking of the nurses' shoes on the tile drew closer, until they stopped just outside the door. The sound of a door being opened followed the brief silence, then the footsteps faded away as the door clicked shut.

"That was close," Kyle said as he felt a rush of adrenaline.

"Yeah. Good thing you found this room," Kiku said as he looked around at it.

The room they had taken refuge in appeared to be a break room. There was a kitchenette against a wall, opposite of that was a row of lockers, a couch and window against another wall, and in the center of the room was a table. Kiku moved over to the lockers and discovered that they held spare uniforms for doctors.

"What are you doing?" Matthew asked as he noticed Kiku picking up a lab coat.

"How close are we to Alfred?" Kiku asked.

Arthur arched a brow at the question, but looked down at his screen. He scrolled through to see the dot that indicated Alfred's room, then back to where they were located.

"A pretty good distance," he replied. "He's around the corner and to the right."

"Then wouldn't it be a good idea to disguise ourselves?" Kiku inquired as he held out the lab coat.

"I believe it would," Arthur said with a pleased look on his face. "How many are there?"

Kiku opened every locker and found two more uniforms. One of them even had an S-Class badge still attached to it. Arthur looked at the badge and saw the face on the badge to resemble Matthew's.

"Here you put this one on," Arthur instructed as he gave the uniform to Matthew. "Yong Soo, you put on the other one."

Matthew and Yong Soo nodded and put them on quickly, while Arthur put on a lab coat himself.

"Alright, Kyle, Kiku, you two will be fine as you are. It shouldn't be suspicious to have two B-Classes with three doctors. Just act normal," Arthur said as he looked at their rescue team.

With everyone in agreement Matthew opened the door, and they walked out into the barren halls. Arthur walked beside him looking at his map to guide them. There was not a soul to be seen as they walked through the halls to Alfred's door. They walked through a set of double doors, and passed by four more doors before stopping at Alfred's. Yong Soo move closer to Arthur when they got to the door, and took Arthur's screen into his hands. He brought up The Giver's code and switched its purpose to use it for unlocking the door.

Arthur held his breath as he did this knowing what laid beyond the door. The recordings from Alfred's files were still clearly imprinted in his memory. He knew he needed to tell Alfred's team, but in a way that wouldn't put any of them, himself, or Alfred at risk.

"Everyone," he said. "Whatever we see behind this door, do not let it hinder our purpose here. We are here for Alfred, and we are not leaving without him."

"We understand, Arthur. We all know that Alfred, isn't going to be the same," Matthew replied softly, as he looked at the determined expressions around him. Everyone knew what Arthur meant by his warning.

Once Yong Soo had the code activated for its new purpose, he held up the screen to the scanner. The air was thick with nervous tension as the purple light flashed over the screen then blinked out. Everyone held their breath as it was processed.

A soft beep sounded and the door began to slide to the side, relieving everyone of their nerves, but a new set of worry and tension came over them. The lights in the room were dim, so dim they were practically off. Everything that wasn't directly under the faint light was covered in shadows. Everyone's eyes were focused on the center object, focused on the limp body slumped forward and unmoving in a chair.

"My word," Arthur said softly as took the first tentative step into the room.

They walked in slowly, everyone in a state of shock as they approached the body strapped to a chair. Matthew felt his face heating up in anger as he got closer; Kiku put a hand over his mouth to hide the trembling frown on his face.

"Back again so soon?" came a hoarse voice.

Arthur's breath hitched at the sound and Matthew moved quickly to touch Alfred.

"Alfred?" Matthew asked, his voice taking on a rough edge as he lifted Alfred's head.

The blonde's greasy hair stuck to his face as his head was brought up, and he opened his tired eyes slowly as he saw who was before him.

"Mattie?"

Matthew was speechless as he looked at Alfred, the B-Class's face was damaged extensively: bruising and cuts, and his cheeks were sunken in. Matthew briefly wondered if this man before him was even Alfred, was even a man at all.

"Yes lad, that's Matthew, and I'm here too," said Arthur. "We're all here—Kiku, Yong Soo, and Kyle. We're getting you out of here," Arthur said in a soft voice.

"Yeah, we're getting you out of here," Matthew croaked out then looked down at the straps holding Alfred. "You guys help me get him out," Matthew said firmly as he grabbed a strap.

Kiku quickly assisted as well as Yong Soo, but Kyle was still stunned. He couldn't comprehend that someone, a citizen of Grand Haven, could look so horrifying, that The Givers not only could, but _willingly_ would do something so extreme. He was speechless as he looked at Alfred and their friends pulling the straps from their fixed positions. Alfred lay there unmoving as they worked on freeing him, but he was doing something, something Kyle had only seen him do on the day they brought him back.

He was crying.

Arthur was talking to him as tears rolled down Alfred's face, and something in Kyle broke at the sight. He knew things would be bad for Alfred, but he didn't expect this, he knew what he was doing and what he was risking, but seeing Alfred—his team leader, his friend—reduced to a broken, crying mess as the straps fell away one by one; he couldn't take it. Kyle felt the hot wetness flowing down his face, and he couldn't find it in himself to stand. He fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands. All he could do was cry to himself as he listened to his friends comforting Alfred.

"We're almost done Al."

"I bet you can't wait to stretch your legs."

"You're safe now."

"I'm sorry."

"I missed you guys."

"Kyle?"

Kyle jumped as something touched him, and he pulled his head up to see Arthur at his side. The S-Class looked at him with a face of understanding; his green eyes reflecting the same conflicted emotions that Kyle felt. Arthur gently squeezed his friend's shoulder before standing up to full height. He offered his hand to Kyle, and the B-Class found himself taking it with little hesitation. When he got to his feet, Kyle felt calmer and seeing Arthur as he was helped him to know that he wasn't the only one feeling confused, overwhelmed, and disgusted.

"You okay, Alfred?" Matthew asked and Kyle and Arthur's attention was brought to the scene at hand.

Matthew had Alfred in his arms, and was adjusting him to be as comfortable as possible.

"I'm—I'm good," Alfred said, his voice cracking on every other word.

Matthew smiled at this, and started to leave the room.

"Arthur, Kyle," Kiku called out softly and waved them on to follow.

Both nodded and followed them out of the room as easily as they came in, but it wasn't the same going out. They had made it back to the hallway with the stairwell, but were stopped by a shout. They looked back to see a doctor looking at them oddly as she asked what they were doing. Instead of answering her question, the group took a chance and ran for it.

Alfred had to bite his lip to keep himself from crying out in pain. His body ached more than it ever had, and he didn't know how much more he could take as he bounced in Matthew's arms as he bounded down the stairs. He didn't want to pass out from the pain; as much as an escape would be nice, he couldn't let it happen. He was afraid that if he did, he'd come to find that this rescue was nothing but a sleep-deprived hallucination.

"Almost there," Matthew said in a rushed tone as he and the others ran into the parking garage.

They raced through the semi-empty garage, and Arthur ran to his transport faster to unlock it and get everyone into it. Kiku got in first and helped Matthew ease in Alfred while Yong Soo got into the front seat. Kyle stood outside waiting for Matthew and Alfred to get settled, but as he waited he heard the door to the parking garage slam open and the sound of running feet.

The plan was that he and Arthur would drive to the hospital and park, having two transports in case something happened, but if nothing happened all of them were meant to get into Arthur's transport and head out.

That was, if nothing happened.

Kyle looked back to see beams of light from flashlights wave around, then looked at Matthew settling Alfred across his and Kiku's laps. He bit his lip as he looked at how beaten and starved Alfred looked and found himself shutting the car door. He then ran off to where he parked his own transport.

"Kyle!" Arthur shouted as he saw the B-Class take off.

"I'll distract them!" Kyle shouted back in reply, and jammed his thumb against his transport's handle to get it to unlock.

He slid into his transport and pressed the start button quickly. He revved the engine to get attention on himself, and once he saw the uniforms of the security B-Classes he pulled his transport out of its space and drove it out of the garage. At the same time Arthur drove out of his parking space, and once they exited the garage, they split off and drove far beyond the normal speed into the streets and through the city.

Arthur drove where he needed to go and thanked Kyle highly for his sacrifice. Everyone was intense silence as they barreled down the street, weaving in and out of other transports and people. The screams and shouts of surprise were grating on Arthur's ears as he tried to listen to Yong Soo give him directions. He felt his head starting to hurt from everything going on around him, but despite this he could still distantly hear the smiley face repeatedly giving its suggestion.

He found himself holding onto the steering wheel in a white knuckle grip, and after making a series of sharp turns and entering an alley in the C-Class domain, he stopped the transport. In a moment of blind rage, Arthur grabbed the tray containing relaxers and ripped it out. Soft blue pills poured out of the dashboard and along with it the wiring and other electrical bits were torn free with the tray. He then opened his door and tossed the useless metal and wiring out of the car and started to drive once more.

"There, much better," Arthur huffed out as he drove through the alley.

The other's said nothing of what happened, keeping to themselves the shock of Arthur's actions. Yong Soo had Arthur taking back alley after back alley, until they made it out of S-3 City. Arthur drove them down the road for a while before veering off into the dirt, heading for the 1,000km line.

"How's it looking?" Arthur asked.

Kiku looked out the back window and saw nothing following them.

"Clear. Kyle really diverted them," he responded, then turned back to face forward.

Arthur gave a hum and a nod at hearing this, then looked back at Alfred.

"How are you holding up Alfred?"

"Really tired," came Alfred's faint voice.

"Well, you can rest, we're going to be safe very soon."

Alfred gave a weak hum, and Matthew patted his legs that resided over his lap.

A beat of silence came over everyone until Arthur looked at Yong Soo still holding his screen. He didn't know if it would be a good thing to keep it online after the 1,000km line, but he knew he wanted to save the files on Alfred. He didn't know exactly why, but he had a feeling they would be important.

"Yong Soo, can you save Alfred's files for me. I want them in a personal folder, not online."

Yong Soo nodded his head without much thought and went to work. He changed the code's purpose once more, and found Alfred's files with some instruction from Arthur. He didn't open the file, merely lifting the file from its source and placing it into an offline folder on Arthur's home screen. When he finished he looked up to see a large vehicle a ways ahead. Arthur flashed his headlights and the vehicle ahead flashed their lights back. When Arthur came to a stop, two people came out of the vehicle ahead and opened up the side of theirs.

"Yong Soo get offline now and turn off the screen. Kiku and Matthew, Francis is the Radical I spoke with and he's going to help you with Alfred."

"Francis?" came Alfred's hoarse voice, a little louder than before.

"Yes, Francis," Arthur said quickly, then got out of the transport as a knock came to his window.

Francis stood with a serious look on his face and dressed in dark browns and blacks. Another man was beside him dressed similarly, but wore a pair of glasses.

"Who's this?" Arthur asked on edge, as he looked at Francis briefly then to the other man.

"Nice to see you as well mon ami," Francis said in a teasing tone, "and this is Eduard. He's a doctor and a friend. I take it you found Alfred?" Francis inquired as he moved to see into the transport.

"Yes," Arthur said firmly then moved Francis away so he could open the door, "and he is very, injured, so be careful with him."

Francis nodded at hearing this and watched as Arthur and two B-Classes started to ease Alfred out of the transport. Francis join in as well, but as they pulled him out the Frenchmen had to hide the shock that came over him. A muttered "Mon Dieu." escaped him as he saw Alfred, and with as much care as possible, got the man into his arms. Eduard was quickly at his side looking the beaten man over, worry clear on his face.

_'He's deathly light,'_ Francis thought as he held Alfred.

Alfred gave a weak smile at seeing Francis and Eduard.

"Hello mon ami, it seems you have been worse for wear, no?" Francis questioned playfully.

"Yeah, it's, it's good ta see ya."

"Well you're in good hands now," Eduard said, then put a hand on Francis' shoulder to get him moving to their vehicle.

Alfred gave a sound of understanding, and let himself relax in Francis' hold as he was carried. Arthur and the others quickly followed, but before any of them stepped into the vehicle Eduard held up his scanner. He ran it over Alfred's neck finding his deactivated chip to still be as such, then looked to the other citizens.

"I need to scan your necks before you get in. It won't hurt," Eduard said.

"What for?" Matthew asked as he eyed the man blocking his way.

"You have a tracking chip there, and I must deactivate it before you cross the line."

"A what?" Yong Soo asked unbelieving.

"If you four do not hurry up we will be caught!" Francis stated as he worked Alfred into the vehicle by himself.

"My word, we don't have time. Chip or not just get on with it," Arthur stated getting annoyed.

Eduard nodded and placed the scanner over Arthur's neck, and once it beeped he moved on to the others.

Eventually, they were all seated and were speeding off on the 8 hour drive to Radical City, safety. Francis and Arthur sitting up front, and Eduard and the others in the back watching over Alfred intently.

* * *

**Translations:**

Mon ami – my friend

Mon Dieu – My God

***Sweet Surak I thought I'd never get time or motivation to finish this! Only thanks to crappy wifi and my amazing friend Orang3Lover (tumblr) was I able to get it finished xp Geeze, took way longer than I ever want it to take again! Ugh, sorry for the wait! Still MORE to come! Thanks for sticking with me so far, and reviews welcomed!***


	13. Chapter 13

  **13**

Darkness surrounded Alfred, his blue eyes looking unseeing into it, fear slowly creeping up his neck. He had no idea where he was, but as he stared off into the nothingness he felt something familiar about it. A sense of dread wrapped around him as he stared at the blackness. He felt a familiar thick material against his skin, of something holding him into place.

_'The chair!'_

A bright light appeared above Alfred in the darkness, then faded to a dim setting. Alfred was instantly blinded by it and tried to move his head forward to hide his eyes.

_"You liked him, didn't you?"_

_"You killed him, didn't you?"_

Alfred tensed at hearing these questions, the words ringing in his ears as he sat in the chair. He didn't answer back, just closing his eyes and trying to shut out the voice. He didn't want to hear the questions that plagued him for so long. He even started begging internally for the electrical shocks to come, knowing then that he'd be distracted from the haunting questions.

_'I knew I couldn't be rescued.'_

A gentle touch came to Alfred's face, and he opened his eyes in surprise. His blue eyes grew wide as he saw violet looking back.

"Ivan."

The Radical smiled at hearing his name and rubbed Alfred's boney cheek with his thumb. Alfred felt like he could cry at seeing Ivan before him; the man looked exactly as he did before he had been taken. This recollection led to Ivan's smile fading, a look of pained surprise replacing it. Alfred's heart seized up at seeing the change, and looked over the man to see a hole forming over his heart.

"N-No, no, no!"

Alfred watched Ivan start to fall away from him, his touch vanishing, and Alfred squeezed his eyes shut in horror.

_"You loved him, didn't you?"_

Alfred snapped his eyes open with a start, his breath leaving him in ragged huffs. He winced as a bright light shone into his eyes, making him cringe away from it. He looked around himself in a frantic daze, nausea swirling in his gut. He put a hand over his tired eyes in an effort to ease the bright light and calm his stomach as he felt his head spinning. The B-Class took several deep breaths, getting slower and more even with each one, and eventually he began to realize he was not strapped to his chair.

_'Where am I?'_ he asked himself.

Alfred peeled the hand off his eyes and blinked rapidly as he adjusted to the light coming in through a window. He realized the light was from the rising sun, and below it was a city with patchwork buildings and people of all shapes and sizes. He registered a sense of familiarity as he looked at the world beyond the open window, then dragged his eyes to the interior of the room.

_'Faded red paint, cracked walls, closet, shelving unit, chair, nightstand, cup, bed…'_

Alfred trailed off as he moved his hand to touch the fabric covering his body. The thin layers of sheets and blankets felt amazing between his fingers, and the scent that they held was heavenly. He felt his chest tighten as he realized where he was, and recognized the sent on the sheets. His throat constricted painfully as tears began welling up in his eyes, while he took in his surroundings.

_'I'm in Ivan's room.'_

"Oh mercy," Alfred croaked out.

He sniffled loudly and started coughing from how dry and tight his throat felt. He immediately remembered the cup and grabbed it off the nightstand. He drank its contents, and inwardly sighed in relief at finding it was water. When he finished, he rested himself against the wall, having sat up in his haste to drink the water. He moved to set the empty cup back, but as he did so he noticed a blue tube sticking out of his forearm. Alfred poked the tube gently, then followed it with his eyes to see it going over the edge of the bed. He furrowed his brow as he followed the tube, and what he found was a small machine sitting on the floor humming softly. His tube was being pumped by the machine, giving him the blue liquid, as it hummed.

Alfred leaned over the edge of the bed to touch it, but at that moment the bedroom door opened. He jerked his hand back quickly, and eyed the doorway intensely only to find Eduard walking in. A part of Alfred was rejoicing at seeing the man, but the other part was stricken with disappointment.

_'Don't be stupid,'_ Alfred told himself, though his heart still ached as he looked at the man before him.

"I see you're awake," Eduard said as he took notice of the B-Class. "How are you feeling? Hungry at all?" he asked as he stood beside the bed.

Alfred stared at the man blankly at first, then thought about the questions. To his surprise he felt fine, besides a need to drink something and a dull ache throughout his body, he felt good.

"I, I feel fine, actually," Alfred admitted as he furrowed his brow.

Eduard smiled at hearing this and moved to pull out his scanner from his lab coat. He turned on the medical scanner then gestured to the bedding, "May I?"

Alfred nodded his head, though he was uncertain on what the other was truly asking.

Eduard gripped the blankets and sheets and pulled them back, uncovering Alfred and started to scan him. What laid under the bedding caught Alfred's attention; his body looked as it had long before he had been taken back home.

"It seems your body accepted my medication well," Eduard started, as he looked at the information coming onto the screen of his scanner. "Yes, your muscle and fat growth has stabilized, nourishment is at the correct levels, hydration is still a bit too low, and all damage has been reversed," he conclude with a pleased look on his face. "All that's left is to get you cleaned and a glass of water."

Alfred gawked at hearing Eduard's words and looked at himself. He lifted his bloody hospital gown at the collar to see his body underneath. He found himself to be lacking underwear, but also to be as muscular as he had been weeks ago. He touched his face gently and could feel his sunken features missing. His blue eyes traveled up to Eduard in astonishment.

"How?"

"My medication. Your doctors have the same kind, but I enhanced it to work faster and better, though it lacks in the hydration aspect. I've had you hooked up to this since we retrieved you last night," Eduard mentioned as he pointed to the small rectangular machine.

Alfred looked at the machine then at the tube in his arm. He felt like he was in a dream, a glorious dream, after suffering such a horrid nightmare for days on end.

"I'm glad it worked. We were all worried," Eduard commented, and Alfred could pick up what was left unsaid.

"Thank you…For everything," Alfred said softly as he slumped back onto the bed.

"It wasn't just me," Eduard replied, "but thank you. Now, let me run some tests to see how you're doing."

Alfred nodded and did as Eduard instructed, the man testing his mobility and strength. The results of the simple exercises showed that Alfred needed more time to regain his normal level of strength, but was doing fine. As Eduard started to write out a list of basic exercises for Alfred to do, the blonde became occupied with his thoughts.

_'I wonder how long it's been... Did they find Ivan that day...?'_

This thought made Alfred's chest hurt, and he wished he could have told Ivan how he felt. He wished he could have protected Ivan, he wished that he had never gone out that day. If he hadn't fought his way onto the field that day then would Ivan still be alive? Would they have been okay together? Would The Givers still have found him and taken him?

"—fred? Alfred?"

Alfred jumped slightly as he felt something touch his face, and he instantly backed away from it. He snapped his eyes up to the person who had invaded his space, and stared, disbelieving.

"Ivan?"

Ivan smiled at hearing his name and moved to sit down on the bed, having crouched down to see Alfred's face deep in thought.

"Da, it is me, and I see you have recovered faster than I could have hoped for," Ivan said as he smiled at a completely bewildered Alfred.

Alfred stared at Ivan for a while longer, before slowly inching towards him. He reached out a tentative hand to touch the Radical's arm and found it to be solid.

"B-But, you was shot. You're—" Alfred cut himself off as he began to feel overwhelmed with surprise and happiness.

He moved his hand to Ivan's chest, going to his heart, and could feel something underneath the thin black shirt. Ivan took a deep even breath and reached up to take Alfred's hand in his own, then pulled down the collar of his shirt to show a round puckered wound on his chest. Alfred gasped softly at seeing it and looked up to Ivan, at a loss for words.

"I was shot," Ivan said, "but only stunned. The bullet narrowly missed my heart, but everything is healed now," he added reassuringly.

Alfred stared at the ring-shaped scar, and had tears begin to blur his vision.

"You're alive," Alfred said brokenly as his tears started to fall.

Ivan felt his heart racing at the sight of Alfred crying, and pulled him into his arms. Alfred tensed at his touch, but Ivan assured him everything was fine and started to rub his back. It reminded the Radical Leader of when he first tried to touch the B-Class, Alfred had been so resistant and tense, but now with each rub Alfred began to relax. The B-Class gave a shaky breath as he calmed down, then latched onto Ivan, crawling into the man's lap and holding onto him tightly.

"I thought I lost you," Alfred whispered hoarsely.

"As did I. I'm so sorry, _moye solnyshko_. I—I could not protect you," Ivan said regretfully, and moved to bury his face in the crook of Alfred's neck.

Ivan had felt miserable after the battle, having lost the one he loved and nearly dying himself. He had vowed to get Alfred back, but he didn't have the resources to do it. All his plans required man power that he didn't have because of the casualties, and the ID of a citizen, which he couldn't forge. He had thought he'd never get to see Alfred again, never get to hold his warm body, kiss his soft lips, see his brilliant smile.

But he had found hope when Francis came to him a few nights before.

Ivan had eagerly agreed to the plan and had waited anxiously for them to return. He would have gone himself, but he was in no position to leave the city, and when he finally laid eyes on Alfred he could barely contain his tears. He knew Alfred would be worse for wear, but what he had seen carried by another B-Class (who looked like Alfred) was not at all what he anticipated. He could barely tell if it was even Alfred that was being put in his bed. He had spent the remaining hours of the night watching over Alfred with Eduard, but once morning came he had to attend to an issue with Francis and the S-Class of the rescue party.

It was when Eduard was finishing up Alfred's checkup that he was able to return to the room. He found himself falling in love all over again with Alfred as he saw him awake, healthy, beautiful, and deep in thought.

"I love you," Ivan said gruffly, his emotions getting the better of him as he held Alfred.

Alfred's breath hitched at the words and he pulled back from Ivan to get a good look at his face. Ivan's eyes were now tinted pink, and a light pink colored Ivan's cheeks. The B-Class smiled weakly at the Radical and moved his hands to gently hold the Russian's face. Ivan smiled at Alfred, which made Alfred let out a breathy laugh. Alfred then moved in, closing the distance between them, and eventually he felt his lips brush against Ivan's.

Alfred felt like his heart was going to give out as they kissed. He moved his lips against Ivan's as best as he could remember. He wanted to remember everything about this moment, the way they kissed, touched, talked, the smell of Ivan, everything. He had nearly forgotten what it was like when he was stuck in his pale room. He wanted to remember every inch of Ivan, in every possible way, but he knew that was too much to ask for right at this moment.

Alfred gently pulled back from the kiss and rested his forehead against Ivan's. The two sat panting for a while, until Alfred gave a mumbled:

"I love you."

Ivan felt his heart seize up at hearing these barely audible words, and looked directly into Alfred's eyes.

"What did you say?" Ivan asked in a breathless whisper.

Alfred stared at Ivan for a moment, looked away, then back, and had a goofy grin come to his face.

"I-I love you."

Ivan felt lighter than air as he heard these words, and couldn't stop the urge the kiss Alfred all over his face. He didn't know how or when Alfred came to be able to say those words, but he was grateful.

Alfred loved him.

Alfred laughed hoarsely under Ivan's persistent kisses, and soon found himself pushed back onto the bed with Ivan above him. The ashen blonde made a move to get rid of the hideous gown that Alfred wore, but stopped as he saw the blue tube in Alfred's forearm. A soft "Oh," escaped him as he remembered that Alfred was still recovering.

"What is it?"

Ivan looked at Alfred then back to the arm, and placed a careful hand over the tube.

"Nothing, I'm just happy to have you back…back with me."

Alfred smiled at hearing this and reached up to pull Ivan down for a kiss, but a knock on the door prevented that. Alfred instantly took his arms back to himself, and Ivan sighed heavily at having their moment ruined.

"Who is it?"

"Arthur and the others," came an irritated voice, and not a moment later the door swung open.

Ivan sighed again and got off of Alfred just before anyone could see them. The blonde quickly covered himself up with the blankets, and did his best to calm himself down as his friends walked into the room. Every one of them looked ragged, whether from lack of sleep or relaxers, but brightened up at seeing Alfred awake and better than the night before.

"Hey Al, how you feeling?" Matthew asked as he got into the room.

"Better—thirsty, but better," he admitted with a smile on his face.

"Well, I have water here. Eduard gave it to me," Matthew said as he stopped at the edge of the bed.

Alfred took the cup happily and drank its contents in record time. Kiku and Yong Soo greeted Alfred as well, but the reunion was cast into a gloom as Alfred asked about Kyle. The B-Class leader had noticed his friend and teammate was absent from their group.

"He, didn't make it. He acted as a diversion to let us get out of the city," Kiku said solemnly.

Alfred gave a soft "Oh," and gave a sad smile, silently thanking his friend. The other B-Class took a moment of silence as well, but quickly brightened back up as Alfred thanked them repeatedly for saving him.

Arthur watched the B-Classes interact from his place in the middle of the crowded room, but he couldn't bring himself to be relived. He knew he should be as happy as anyone else to see Alfred, but he couldn't indulge in that just yet. He knew that it was his fault that Alfred suffered as he did because of his actions, because of his need to get the blonde back. He knew he shouldn't blame himself for everything, but he felt like it was the right thing. Without him Alfred wouldn't have been tortured, and now they had lost Kyle. It pained him to think that Kyle had been captured, and he knew he couldn't let that stand.

He had to rectify his mistakes, having started with retrieving Alfred. He still had to face the issue at hand: Kyle's safety, their safety, and unbelievably enough, the Radicals' safety. No one would be safe until The Givers were dealt with.

Arthur could recall The Givers' plans and other details from his time working with other S-Class citizens for hours on end, going over data to make a lethal plan. Thus, Arthur knew that Radical City was close to being discovered, especially after witnessing the drive to get to the city.

"Everyone," Arthur started, his voice silencing any other conversations. "I know we are all happy to have Alfred back, but do not forget what is going on. Not only have we betrayed The Givers, but we are at war, and we—The Givers are closer than we think to finding this place."

" _What_?" Ivan asked, completely caught off guard by the statement.

"It's true, we are still a good ways short of finding you lot, but it's bound to happen in a few days' time. I remember that in distance we are close, but the angle of search is far off from what I've seen," Arthur stated as he looked at Ivan.

"What are we going to do, Arthur? The Givers weren't going to move out for a few days, but now that we've left—"

"They'll speed up the process, won't they?" Yong Soo asked, cutting off Matthew.

Arthur just nodded his head and looked to Ivan, who stared at the floor in thought.

"We will need to get the others," Ivan finally said, looking to Eduard.

The bespectacled man nodded his head moved to leave the room. The Citizens gave confused looks, except Alfred, who only looked saddened.

"You're going to call a meeting?" Alfred questioned.

"Da, but this time things will be different, moy dorogoy," Ivan said with determination in his voice.

The other citizens looked between the two confused, though Arthur knew full well what was taking place. He knew about the relationship Alfred had with Ivan from the files he had found, and he could tell that Alfred was important to Ivan, and vice versa, in this moment.

"Ivan, I just got word from Eduard. Do you need me to do anything before you arrive?" Francis' voice asked, as the man himself popped in through the bedroom doorway.

"Oh, yes, take them to the base, and I'll be there shortly," Ivan said simply.

Francis smirked at hearing the answer and gave an all-knowing wink at the man, which made Ivan arch a curious brow. The Frenchmen paid him no mind, as he was already wrapping an arm around Arthur's shoulders, which the S-Class quickly slipped out of.

"Don't touch me, you filth. Just lead the way already," Arthur growled, even though his heart was racing in his chest.

"Oh, _mon cher_ , you wound me," Francis said in a playful tone, and began to lead the way.

As the citizens left with Francis ahead, Arthur could be heard telling the Radical he'll wound him in a good place if he didn't stop his fondling. Alfred laughed at hearing it, and Ivan shook his head as he closed the door.

"I thought S-Classes were supposed to be more well-behaved."

"I don't know, Arthur has changed a lot," Alfred commented as he looked up to Ivan.

The Russian gave a hum to this and moved back to the bed, sitting on its edge as close to Alfred as he could. He placed a kiss on Alfred's forehead, and Alfred let out a breath as he said:

"What will make this battle different?"

Ivan ran a hand down Alfred's jaw then took his hand away.

"You'll be protected."

Alfred felt his chest ache at hearing this, knowing what Ivan was talking about.

"Well, I want to fight. It's my job to help others, remember?"

Ivan sighed at, then leaned forward to kiss Alfred chastely before getting off the bed.

"I do, but I can't lose you again," Ivan said softly.

Alfred felt at a loss for words at hearing this, and watched Ivan turn his back to him and leave the room. He listened to him walk down the hall, then the stairs, and after a while, he could see Ivan out his window walking to the base.

He understood how Ivan felt, for he felt the same, but he didn't feel right just sitting around. He was a B-Class, meant to help others, meant to keep security, and even though he wasn't in S-3 City, he would keep security for Radical City, for Ivan. It wouldn't be right to let Ivan and the others fight a battle that he himself is a part of.

Alfred looked down at himself then to the closet across the room. He grabbed his blankets and sheets and threw them off, then got to his feet. He picked up the machine supplying him with medication—the small object was heavy, but not so heavy that it was hard to lift—, and made his way to the closet.

"I'm sorry Ivan, but I need to protect you too."

Alfred put on Ivan's clothes, dressing himself in a red and blue t-shirt and jeans, which he had to hold up with a belt pulled tight. He rolled his pants up so they were tight at his ankles, and dug out a pair of tattered sneakers from the closet floor. He tied them as tightly as he could then picked up his machine and headed out of the room as quietly as possible. He tiptoed down the staircase and looked cautiously around the corner. He could hear Katyusha and Natalia talking, and found them in the kitchen. He took that moment to rush out of the house, and move as fast as he could to get to the base.

The B-Class ended up getting turned around on the way to the base, but managed to find a Radical going his way. He followed the Radical through the forest path and slipped in after him once he unlocked the rusted door. Alfred started to lag behind as the Radical kept ahead, wanting to calm himself before going into the conference room.

He pressed himself against the wall right at the curtained doorway as he tried to calm down. He didn't want to go in looking ragged, he wanted to prove he was strong enough for a fight, and he wanted to have a few good lines ready if Ivan, or anyone else, tried to deny him. As he leaned against the wall, collecting his thoughts, he could hear what was going on in the room. Multiple voices speaking at different volumes and accents, until a louder voice spoke, silencing them.

"Wait, so, you want to contact everyone that we asked to assist to arrive faster, then plow through the enemy with everything we have?" came the voice that Alfred knew to be Gilbert's.

"Yes, we know thanks to Arthur that The Givers will be doing the same, but if we get to them first it'll be better for us. We need to get to them before they get to us, or our city will be compromised," Ivan's stern voice stated.

"Alright, but we don't have that many weapons on hand right now. Unless you want us to make slingshots and spears until Berwald's team can get here," a feminine voice pointed out.

"Yeah, it's not like we can massively disarm all their weapons," another voice put in.

A collective of voices started to speak out at that moment, but was silenced by Ivan.

" _Quiet_! Now, I understand that—Yes, Arthur?"

"Yes, well, I believe we can... disarm them that is," came Arthur's voice.

"How?" Gilbert asked, his loud voice echoing with skepticism.

The sound of footsteps filled the brief silence, and Alfred could picture Arthur walking to the front of the room, standing by Ivan's side with a serious face.

"Yong Soo hacked into our system in order to find Alfred, and I know for a fact that there is a kill code for every weapon in Grand Haven, it's a safety measure. No one knows of it unless they were an S-Class like me, or a Giver."

Alfred furrowed his brow at hearing this and inched closer to the doorway, but still kept out of sight.

"Commissioner, I don't know if I can do that!" came Yong Soo's voice, sounding uncertain.

"No, no, this is good. Very good, Toris," Ivan called out.

"Here!" came a soft shout followed by scurrying feet.

"Yes, Toris can help you achieve that. He has been working on trying to get into your world's security system for years, but now he can do that with your help. So you three can get the code and disarm the citizens."

A chorus of cheers and agreement went with Ivan's words, but was quickly cut off by Matthew's voice.

"Wait! Wouldn't this be murder, then? They'll be defenseless, and you'll just kill them all?" Matthew questioned, sounding cross.

"No, far from it," Ivan replied coolly. "What we hope to achieve every time we raid is to rid your world of your Givers. They poison your minds with drugs and kind words, but it's all lies, and you know that now."

"Yes, we do," Arthur spoke up, "and Ivan, you'll be able to fulfill that goal. I have Alfred's files from his time in the Special Wing of the hospital. There's reports and recordings on everything," he added.

The room went silent, and Alfred felt a sick knot of anger twisting in his gut.

_'How does he have those?! How can—no, no one can see them!'_ Alfred thought, becoming frantic with anger and worry.

He didn't want anyone to know what happened to him, he didn't want anyone to see the things he went through. He couldn't burden others like that, couldn't let them see him so broken.

"Why do you have this?" Ivan asked, and Alfred instantly snapped out of his thoughts.

"I want the world to know what The Givers did to one of our own. What I have on this screen will no doubt make everyone understand what you are trying to save them from. It pains me to think that Kyle might be going through the same thing as we speak."

The room was silent once more, and Alfred felt his anger drain from him.

_'Kyle…'_

Alfred bit his lip, and as the silence stretched on he decided to put his words in. He sucked in a deep breath as he straightened up, then faced the doorway.

"Let's do it," he said as he walked into the room, seeing everyone again or for the first time.

"Alfred, what—" Ivan began, but he cut him off.

"I want to fight. Ivan, I understand your reasons, but I have things to protect, too," Alfred said firmly as he switched hands holding his machine. "I need to fight, Ivan, and neither you nor anyone else can stop me. As much as I don't want any of you to see what happened to me, if you believe it will make things better, fine. I understand why you want to use it, but… no one should have to see that."

Everyone looked at Alfred's serious expression and could only nod their heads in agreement. Ivan didn't want to agree, but he knew Alfred was stubborn, just as he knew that Alfred had his right to fight, to seek revenge against those who had hurt him.

"Very well. Toris, Arthur, Yong Soo, you three get to work on the code. Francis, get ahold of the other leaders, the rest of us prepare anything and everything. We need to get going as soon as possible," Ivan commanded.

The Radicals and Citizens agreed and headed off to do their jobs. Alfred moved to join Matthew and Kiku, but Ivan stopped him.

"Ivan, I said I wa—"

"I know what you said, but you can't get anything done when you have to hold that machine," Ivan said, and Alfred had a smile come to his face. "Eduard! Alfred needs to be unhooked," Ivan called out.

The man in question nodded his head and came over to them to escort Alfred to the infirmary in the base. Alfred looked back at Ivan still smiling, and Ivan hoped dearly he was making the right choice. He knew if he lost Alfred again after just getting him back, he would not be able to recover.

* * *

**Translations:**

My sunshine – moye solnyshko

my darling – moy dorogoy

My dear – mon cher

**So, I've mapped it out and I have it planned to end A Change at 17 chapters, which means, not much is left! As always thanks for sticking with me and reading my trash u.u Chapter 14 is already underway, so I'm hoping to get it up soon! Reviews Welcomed!***


	14. Chapter 14

**14**

 

Ivan let out a tired sigh as he made his way to his home from the base. It was well into the night, but for him and a few other Radicals, they had just completed their second day of preparing for the battle ahead.

The process was nearly complete, but because of that quick progress he hadn't had time to spend with Alfred. Sure, the B-Class worked alongside him, but it wasn't enough. He wanted to spend every waking moment with him, but he never got the chance. Even when nightfall had come about the two didn't sleep together in Ivan's room; the Radical leader had passed out in his older sister's room, since hers was much closer than his own when getting to the second floor of the house.

Tonight however, Ivan was determined to get to his bedroom.

He moved as quietly as possible through the house and up the stairs, tiptoeing past sleeping citizens in his living room and his siblings' bedrooms as he made it to the second floor. Ivan stifled a yawn as he crept down the hall to his room and gently opened the door. He peeked into the room to find it dark, but also dimly lit from the light of the city pouring in from the window. The Radical moved his eyes over the bed to see if Alfred was in it, and found the blonde gazing out the window from his place on the bed, his figure almost completely hidden in the shadows of the dark room.

Alfred laid his head on his arms as he rested on the windowsill. His blonde hair glowed in the city light and swayed in the gentle breeze that rolled in. Alfred's back was curved into a scrunched C as he looked out the window, and was only dressed in one of Ivan's shirts. The oversized shirt barely concealed Alfred's naked lower half, the B-Class still commando since he lacked underwear.

Ivan found himself captivated at the sight of Alfred on the bed, feeling a sense of déjà vu come over him as the blonde slowly turn his head to look back at him.

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

"Sort of, I just came back from the base," Ivan replied as he walked into the room, carefully shutting the door behind him.

"Mmm… You can sit here if you want," Alfred said as he gestured to the bed, and Ivan could see the tips of his ears turning red in the dim light.

"Very well."

Ivan took off his boots, then crossed the room to sit down on the bed, bringing his legs up to stretch out. Alfred adjusted himself to allow Ivan room, but as he did so he pulled down his shirt to make sure he was covered. He hadn't had underwear since he had been locked in the Special Wing, and he still hadn't had a chance to get any in the Radical City. He let out a sigh at realizing he'd never get his clothes back, but let it go in favor of looking back out the window. He didn't know why, but he just felt drawn to it, like a moth to a light. There was something relaxing, almost comforting, about it, and having Ivan with him made him feel more at peace.

Ivan found it to be breathtaking, seeing Alfred in a tired but awake state, looking ragged and beautiful all at once. The way the soft glow of the city splayed out on Alfred made him wish he could take a picture. It felt right to see Alfred like this, to have Alfred with him once more. He wanted to have every piece of Alfred in every way he could have it. With this urge front and center, Ivan moved a hand to gently rest it on Alfred's ankle. The blonde tensed at the touch, but relaxed just as quickly, and looked back at Ivan. Ivan smiled at Alfred, who returned the gesture as his face took on a shade of red. Alfred looked away shortly after, but as the seconds passed Ivan could tell he was looking at him through the corner of his eye. Ivan held his gaze with a small smile on his face, then a laugh escaped him as he realized something.

"What's so funny?" Alfred asked as he blushed darkly.

"Does this not seem like déjà vu to you?" Ivan asked as he gazed at Alfred.

The blonde smiled to himself as he thought about it, and gave a breathy chuckle as he nodded his head. His mind clearly remembering the night from days long since passed.

"Do you…think it will end the same?" Alfred found himself asking, unsure where such a question came from, but didn't try to take it back.

Ivan looked at Alfred in surprise, then smiled fondly at the B-Class.

"It doesn't have to, if you don't want it to," Ivan replied, uncertain, but hopeful.

Alfred ran his tongue over his bottom lip absentmindedly, as he thought about what Ivan had said. Last time, he thought he could take the jump into physical intimacy, he thought he understood himself, but now—now he really felt confident he could. He knew how Ivan felt for him, and he knew how he felt for Ivan. Sure, he didn't know how sex worked, for either gender, but he wanted to try. He wanted to have Ivan as close as possible, to remember every inch of him. This urge reminded Alfred of how he felt when he first saw Ivan the day before, the urge to touch and memorize the other, never wanting to forget.

"I don't want it to," Alfred finally said, the words instantly making his heart pound in his chest.

"You sure?" Ivan asked, knowing that Alfred was putting himself on a limb once again.

"…Yeah, I'm sure."

Ivan smiled softly at hearing this, and held out his arms to Alfred. The B-Class smiled sheepishly and moved from the open window and into the awaiting arms. He felt nervous as Ivan's arms wrapped around him, but not nauseous in the slightest. He felt comfortable with Ivan, even though his heart pounded like a drum, but it didn't come to that much of a surprise. Alfred just felt right with Ivan.

"You are perfect," Ivan murmured against Alfred's neck.

The B-Class felt his face heat up at the comment, and buried his burning face into Ivan's chest. Ivan smiled at the act and moved his hands to rub Alfred's back and comb through his honey blonde hair. The Radical could feel Alfred's tension dissipating slowly, and when he deemed it right, he started to place kisses along Alfred's neck. Alfred found himself craning his neck as Ivan trailed his chaste kisses upwards, going along Alfred's jaw, then to his lips where he was kissed lovingly. Alfred hummed into it, and opened his hands to latch his fingers into Ivan's shirt.

The two shared a soft kiss that was laced with unspoken words. Alfred did his best to convey his response, moving his lips eagerly as he tried to press closer to Ivan. The Radical accepted it hungrily, drowning in the kiss and moved to let Alfred experience the same sensation. He placed an arm around the B-Class's waist and a hand to his head, then leaned forward, putting Alfred down onto the bed. Alfred flinched at the movement, but didn't let it deter him from their kiss.

Alfred couldn't get enough of the man above him, the feel of his kiss, the softness of his skin, the very smell of him. He wanted it all and more, but he couldn't process why it made him feel so overwhelmed. He felt like he was on the verge of tears as he was held in Ivan's arms. He had an inkling that it had something to do with believing that the man had died, perhaps even his new found love, but it felt like something more. He couldn't pin it down as the indescribable feeling in his chest grew, making him feel like his heart was going to burst.

"Alfred, are you okay?" Ivan asked as he realized Alfred had become inactive in their kiss.

The blonde laid under him with a smile plastered to his face so brilliant with tears gliding down his face. Ivan felt his heart skip at seeing it, and didn't know whether to be worried or not.

"I, I don't know. I—Geeze, I just feel relieved?" Alfred said in a questioning tone, not sure what to call it.

Ivan let out a low, rumbling chuckle as he realized how overwhelmed Alfred was. He could understand it, having been taken away twice, tortured, rescued, and seeing a man he finally come to love that he assumed dead. Anyone would be "relieved," sort to speak.

"I believe that is the right word, moye solnyshko," Ivan muttered as he leaned down and kissed a tear stained cheek.

Alfred felt his face starting to hurt from smiling and moved to touch Ivan's cheek. He enjoyed the feel of Ivan's pale skin in his hands, and Ivan turned his head to kiss Alfred's palm. Alfred felt a breathy chuckle escape him from the act and started to take his hand back, but Ivan caught it, and laced his fingers with Alfred's. The Radical then moved to kiss Alfred again, wiping the smile off his face.

"I love you, so much, Alfred." Ivan muttered against Alfred's lips.

"I love you too," Alfred whispered back, more confidently than he ever had.

Ivan smiled at hearing those words and kissed Alfred again, then moved along his neck down to his shirt collar. He then sat up and freed his hand from Alfred's to grip the hem of the large shirt.

"May I?" Ivan asked as he tugged on the thin fabric.

Alfred blushed deeply as he heard the request and hesitated on the answer. He knew Ivan would be able to see _all_ of him if he took it off. Alfred felt his nervousness meld into fear as he thought about this. He didn't know what to expect, he didn't know if Ivan would like what he saw, he didn't know if it would feel right.

Ivan could see that Alfred was starting to become uncertain, seeming to shut down.

"Alfred, it's okay," Ivan said softly. "If you want, I can undress first," he added with a slight grin. Alfred looked up at Ivan, a bit conflicted. "It will be fine Alfred, you can see me first and realize there's nothing wrong about it, nothing to fear."

Alfred looked at Ivan for a moment longer, then blushed slightly and nodded his head, deeming it a sensible idea, as his fear began to subside.

Ivan smiled and kissed Alfred's forehead, then sat back and grabbed the hem of his own shirt. Alfred watched Ivan intently as the man sat between his legs, then began to pull off his grey t-shirt. The B-Class felt his heart nearly stop as he saw Ivan's skin being unveiled before his eyes. Even in the dim light, Alfred could see Ivan's torso in great detail. The scars that riddled his body were astonishing—not grotesque in any way; it was complimentary, as strange as it was. They ran along and across the defined muscle and around Ivan's neck, and Alfred could see the muscles under the scarred flesh move as Ivan tossed his shirt aside.

Once his torso was bare he gave Alfred an open invitation to touch him. The blonde swallowed thickly at the opportunity, and sat up on the bed before reaching out to touch him. Ivan smiled at the determined expression on Alfred's face as he reached out for him. Alfred's fingers gently prodded him, then his whole hand slowly laid flat against his chest. Alfred could feel Ivan's heart racing under his palm, and he bit his bottom lip as he moved it to touch Ivan. He was completely mesmerized by Ivan's body, and at the fact he was touching the man so intimately. He could feel the scars and muscle under his hand, the light chest hair, and the softness of his skin. He soon added his other hand, getting comfortable with Ivan, and trailed his fingers over every inch of skin he could. Ivan sighed contently, giving a giggle here and there as Alfred found his ticklish spots. Alfred only smiled at finding those spots, but it faded as he got to the wound near Ivan's heart, this time taking notice of the new scar there. He touched it gently and Ivan watched as a sad look came into his eyes.

Ivan reached down to take the hand and moved forward to kiss Alfred gently.

"Do not worry about it. I'm still here," he assured softly.

Alfred nodded slowly at this, and Ivan smiled softly and took his hand back.

"Shall I finish undressing?"

Alfred's melancholy was lifted at hearing this, and he nodded, somewhat nervously. Ivan smirked at the man, then got off the bed to undo his pants and slip them off. He stepped out of them, letting Alfred see him in his boxers for a moment, then took hold of the waistband of his underwear. He looked at Alfred, asking if he was fine, and after Alfred gave his okay, Ivan continued. Ivan slipped the thin material off his body slowly, and Alfred found himself gawking at what was revealed to him.

Never in his life had he seen another man like this, or been with one in this situation, and he didn't know if he could handle it after all. The way Ivan was built was unbelievably impressive and his size was modest, but Alfred could only imagine how much bigger it would get later. Ivan was very muscular, but not so much that it looked strange. A dusting of ash blonde hair covered Ivan's chest, arms, and legs, but it was so light in color Alfred could hardly tell by sight alone. The scars on his torso and neck even extended to his other limbs.

"Wow," he said softly as he looked Ivan over.

The Russian smiled at the B-Class and moved back onto the bed. Alfred backed up instinctively as Ivan got onto the mattress—not out of fear, but out of uncertainty, uncertainty that he was truly allowed to be near Ivan, to touch him.

"It's alright Alfred, I won't bite," Ivan said playfully as he sat before Alfred, unfazed that he was nude.

Alfred found it hard to swallow as he looked at Ivan. Seeing the man as he was, was extremely appealing, so much so that he could feel himself getting excited over it. This realization made Alfred bring his legs to himself to try to conceal his growing erection. He blushed darkly as he glanced at Ivan, then looked away, unable to keep looking at the man. He wanted to touch him, but he felt embarrassment over him once, and he paused, unsure of what to do.

_'Oh mercy! I-I want to, but I'm already—but if I don't, would he think I rejected him?'_

This thought made a spark of fear appear in Alfred's heart. He bit his lip as he tried to think of something as he pulled his shirt more over his growing manhood. He glanced up at Ivan, out of curiosity, and saw the man still waiting on him with a smile on his face.

Beyond all reason, Alfred raised a hand out to Ivan and shakily touched the man. Ivan could obviously tell that Alfred was nervous and placed his hand on top of Alfred's. The action made Alfred's shaky hand become still, and Ivan took the initiative to move Alfred's hand down his body. Alfred could feel himself getting harder with each second his hand was in contact with Ivan. He tried to make it go away with the usual unpleasant thoughts, but it wasn't working. He licked his lips as he felt his hands move over Ivan's thigh, and he felt faint as he noticed that Ivan was starting to stiffen up.

"I-Ivan— I— Your— Damn."

Alfred was at a loss for words and began to take his hand back. He then moved to stretch his shirt over his knees to hide himself. Ivan raised an eyebrow at Alfred at hearing his stammered words. He knew that Alfred had gotten an erection at the sight of him, he could easily tell that, and thus didn't bother to hide his own. Ivan was aware of how taboo this was for Alfred, and he wanted to show him how normal it really was. He didn't have an exact plan for how to show Alfred that, but he had a feeling he would achieve his goal regardless.

"Alfred."

Alfred stayed huddled to himself, his eyes not leaving their fixated position on his shirt covered knees. Ivan sighed softly, and moved to put a hand against Alfred's cheek and bring his head up.

"Alfred, there is nothing to be ashamed of. It's normal," Ivan said softly.

Alfred bit his bottom lip as he let his head be brought up, and once he looked at Ivan he knew there was no turning back. Ivan moved forward to kiss him, giving him that certain kiss that had him melting from the inside out.

Invading tongue and needy lips was all that their kiss was, and when it ended, Alfred was left panting and underneath Ivan once more. His shirt had freed itself from his knees and laid about his abdomen, which meant his manhood was out in the open. He went to cover it up, but Ivan stopped him. He held his hands in his own and started to kiss Alfred more deeply, leaving him breathless and wanting more.

_'Yeah, this, this is what I wanted,'_ Alfred found himself thinking in a daze as Ivan broke their kiss. _'I can do this.'_

"May I?"

Alfred lifted his head to see Ivan once again asking to remove his shirt. Alfred heaved out a breath and nodded his head, knowing that his shirt had failed its purpose. Ivan smiled at Alfred as he laid under him with a nervous grin on his face, and kissed his forehead before stripping him of his shirt.

Once it was gone Ivan started to roam his hands over Alfred's body, letting him get used to his touch. Alfred shivered under the foreign touch, never having known something so intimate or gentle. Not a single part of him was left untouched, trailing fingers going over his light tan skin stretched over muscle. Alfred tensed up quickly however, when Ivan's hand came into contact with his manhood. The feeling of Ivan's large hand around him was odd and he felt the urge to get away from it, but before he could act Ivan started to pump his hand. This effectively halted any protest, and Alfred shivered as he felt the familiar pleasure that he had only ever given to himself. It was strange to think that someone else could physically do this to him besides himself, but as Ivan kept moving his hand the more he lacked a care to even think.

"Oh s-shit," Alfred stammered out absentmindedly, but once he said it he slapped a hand to his mouth in surprise.

"It looks like Radical City is influencing you," Ivan said with a soft laugh.

Alfred turned a bright red at Ivan's comment, but he was soon forgetting about it and muttering the forbidden word once more as Ivan picked up his pace. Alfred threw his arm over his face as he used the other to claw at the bedding. He let out soft moans as Ivan stroked him perfectly, and he could already feel his climax approaching. As much as he wanted to finish, he still wanted to have sex, he didn't want to come this far and not get to his goal.

"W-Wait, St-AHp, I-Ivan!" Alfred cried out as he shoved a hand down on Ivan's hand.

The Russian instantly did as told and looked at Alfred with concern.

"What is wrong? Did it not feel good?"

Alfred shook his head frantically at the question.

"N-No, it was, but, I-I almost came. I—I don't want it like that," Alfred said as he laid panting on the bed, his eyes covered by his other arm.

Ivan gave a soft "Oh" at hearing this and moved to lift Alfred's arm away.

"You really want to have sex?" Ivan inquired, asking for assurance.

Alfred nodded his head without hesitation.

"Y-Yes, I'm ready this time," he stated as he finally caught his breathe.

Ivan nodded his head to this, then moved away from Alfred to get to his nightstand behind him. Alfred watched him with nervous anticipation as Ivan rummaged through his nightstand. The man grabbed a small object then moved to be over Alfred once more.

"W-What's that?" Alfred asked as he looked at Ivan's hand.

"This is lube—lubricant, to say it properly," Ivan clarified as he held the bottom up in the light. "It will make the process easier and feel amazing."

Alfred felt his cock twitch at hearing this and couldn't even begin to imagine how good sex would be. He knew kissing was far better than the virtual, and he had high hopes that physical sex would surpass anything he'd ever felt.

"What's the process?" Alfred asked curiously as he eyed the lube bottle.

Ivan smirked at hearing this question and opened the bottle.

"How about I show you while I explain?" Ivan suggested, and with a nervous nod Ivan proceeded to squeeze the goo into his hands.

The clear liquid coated his fingers, and the bottle was set aside to free the hand to hold Alfred's thigh. He pushed it up a ways to reveal more of Alfred's ass to him, and the blonde blushed darkly at realizing this. Alfred felt his heart racing in his chest as he watched Ivan look at him. When he saw Ivan bring his lubed fingers towards him he couldn't bring himself to watch any longer. He threw his arm over his eyes once more, as he trembled under Ivan. He felt like he'd faint just from the sight, he could feel his fear gnawing at him, but he still didn't want to back out.

"Relax, moy dorogoy," Ivan said softly as he leaned forward to kiss Alfred's leg.

The blonde twitched at the kiss, and his trembling ceased as Ivan rubbed his leg as well. He still kept his eyes covered, which Ivan didn't mind to correct. The Russian was aware that Alfred needed to do what he needed to in order to go through with his desire.

"The process starts with me opening you up, down here. It will feel odd, but it'll feel good soon," Ivan informed.

Alfred's breath hitched, a curse leaving his lips in a harsh whisper, as he felt one of Ivan's fingers touch him. It moved around his entrance in circles, the pressure increasing with each circulation, which eventually led to the finger slipping in. Alfred twitched at the feel of it, and Ivan continued to ease in his finger.

"Relax, Alfred, if you don't it will hurt," Ivan stated as he focused on opening up Alfred.

"H-Hurt?!"

Ivan inwardly cringed as he heard Alfred's shocked tone, then looked up to Alfred, who looked back at him owlishly. The worry on his face was painfully obvious.

"Uh, yes, it will hurt. I'm sorry, but if you can stay relaxed it won't hurt too badly," Ivan assured. "Besides, it will feel good before then," he added, trying to salvage Alfred's confidence.

The blonde furrowed his brow as he heard this, then sighed before falling back on the bed.

"Okay, okay, just…be careful," Alfred said as he let out a huff.

"I will."

Ivan watched Alfred take deep breaths as he tried to ease the tension in his body. Ivan could tell that Alfred was not as calm as he tried to appear, and decided to help him in his endeavor. He started easing in his finger once more, and at the same time he leaned over and ran his tongue over Alfred's half hard cock. Alfred instantly jerked at the feeling then looked down at Ivan bewilderedly to find out what exactly had touched him. The Russian smirked at him and moved to repeat the action, dragging his tongue along Alfred's shaft right before his eyes. Alfred opened his mouth to stop Ivan from doing something so unsanitary, but had a moan rip from him instead as he felt the new sensation. He tried to still voice his protest, but the more Ivan licked him, the more he couldn't find his words.

Alfred knew he was completely weak against Ivan once he felt the man take him fully in his mouth. He slumped back onto the bed and wiggled his hips as he felt Ivan suck on him. Alfred was still oblivious to the finger in him, working him open, and it was just as Ivan wanted. Though Alfred's need to move was becoming an issue, but Ivan fixed the problem by using his free hand to hold down Alfred's left hip. The blonde still moved against him, but not so much that it was hard to suck on him or open him up.

Alfred didn't know how anything that seemed extremely unsanitary could feel so good. He felt like he was melting in Ivan's mouth and on the bed. He couldn't even tell that a finger was deep within him until a second one was added. He felt a dull ache at the stretching that Ivan was doing, and it made him hiss.

"W-What, is— Shi— What are you doing?" Alfred finally got out.

Ivan slowly pulled his mouth off of Alfred's manhood, giving a drawn out suck before popping off.

"I am opening you up while I give you a blow job. I already have two fingers in you. You'll only need another before you're ready," Ivan said as he wiggled the fingers inside Alfred.

The blonde groaned as he felt the fingers move inside him. He found the feeling to be beyond strange, but his thoughts quickly changed. Something indescribable shot up his spine, making him arch his back as he let out a moan loud enough to be nearly a scream. The feeling was intense, and left as quickly as it came, leaving him to fall back on the bed, trembling.

"I found your prostate," Ivan said, then pushed his fingers against the bundle of nerves once more.

Alfred instantly reacted, fingers clawing at the bed, mouth open in a broken moan, and hips moving down to get more pressure on that one spot. The Russian felt his cock throb as he watched Alfred, and knew he couldn't take much more of just touching the other man. He wanted to push himself into Alfred, make him moan his name brokenly, make him claw at his back, but he had to have restraint. Alfred still needed to be opened more before he could do anything. With that in mind, Ivan pulled his fingers back, relieving Alfred of his pleasure, and worked on getting a third finger into him.

The third finger slipped in with ease, but the full and stretching feeling that registered made Alfred whine and hiss. His haze of pleasure lifted as the fingers moved in him, and he started to tense up from them. Ivan easily corrected this by putting his mouth back onto Alfred's faltering erection. He quickly brought it back to full mast, and had Alfred moaning once more as he worked him open.

It didn't take much longer until he deemed Alfred ready and pulled away from him; leaving him on the bed breathless and in a haze. Alfred brought his head up weakly, and looked at Ivan to see why he had left him. What he saw sitting between his legs was Ivan coating himself with lube. His manhood was much larger than it had started out to be, and Alfred started to fear that it wouldn't fit. As he stared, he could only assume that it was meant to fill the space where Ivan's fingers had been as he stared at it.

"Don't worry Alfred, I'll be gentle," Ivan said as he noticed Alfred's stunned expression.

"Is…Is that going in me?" Alfred asked as Ivan let himself go and moved towards Alfred.

"Da, but like I said, I will be gentle. It won't hurt as long as you're relaxed," Ivan assured as he wiped the excess lube onto Alfred's prepped entrance.

Alfred shivered from the touch, but laid back down and did his best to relax.

_'This is what you wanted. It's going to happen, and it's going to be amazing,'_ Alfred told himself, and now he honestly could agree with himself on this.

If what Ivan did to him earlier was any indication of what he was in for, he had a pretty good idea that what was to come would be just as unbelievably good. And that was enough to keep his fears at bay as Ivan approached him. The Russian gripped his long, thick cock, and Alfred shivered as he felt the head of it brush against him.

"Ready?" Ivan asked as he looked into Alfred's eyes.

Alfred blushed heavily as he felt his nervousness growing, but he gave a slow nod.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"Are you sure?" Ivan questioned.

Alfred gave a quick nod to the question as he let out a deep breath, and Ivan moved forward to kiss him tenderly on his lips. When they pulled apart Ivan gave a whisper of: "Breathe and relax. If it's too much, say so." Alfred gave a nod to this, and immediately after he felt Ivan start to push into him. His blue eyes widened as he felt the warm tip of Ivan's cock push into him, and he had a look of pure awe on his face. There wasn't any pain, only a dull throb. He could feel Ivan's cock move further in, a full sensation taking over him, but the dull pain spiked as Ivan bucked slightly.

Alfred let out a soft cry at the pain through clenched teeth, and Ivan whispered apologies as he kissed Alfred's cheek. Ivan stopped his movements until Alfred felt ready to continue or to call everything to end. Surprisingly Alfred gave Ivan the okay to continue after a moment of relaxing and waiting out the sudden pain. Ivan gave his apologies once more, before pushing in the rest of the way, going in slow an easy.

Once he was fully in he didn't move an inch, letting Alfred get adjusted to him and allowing himself some time to calm down. Alfred's entrance was slick, hot, and tight, and he could barely stand it. He wanted to cum right then and there, just give a good buck of his hips and release, but he knew he couldn't. Not only is the mere thought embarrassing, wanting to cum so soon, but he wanted Alfred to feel just as good as him, to enjoy it just as much as himself.

"How do you feel?" Ivan asked as he looked down at Alfred.

"F-Full. It's kind of weird," Alfred admitted as he felt Ivan's erection inside him. "Is, is this really sex?"

Ivan smiled at the question and nodded.

"Yes, and it will get much better from here," he promised.

Alfred swallowed thickly at hearing this, his tongue running over his bottom lip without thinking. His blue eyes were fixated on Ivan as he started to move, the man rising above Alfred and adjusting his hips. A gasp escaped Alfred as he felt Ivan do this, the cock inside him pulling out slightly, then even more so, before going back in. Alfred found his breath taken away as he felt the change from empty to full, from dull pain to strange pleasure. He moaned softly as Ivan pushed into him at different angles, trying to find the spot that would have Alfred screaming for him.

"A-Ah! Shit—Ah!"

Alfred arched off the bed as he cried out in pleasure, his prostate having been finally located. Ivan smirked at having found it and set out to make Alfred a mess for him. He pushed in gently, only using even and slow thrusts, wanting to go easy so he wouldn't hurt the other.

Alfred moaned loudly under him, his body shaking from the new level of pleasure that could not be compared to the virtual sex he used to have. To even do so was a crime, Alfred was amazed at how of much a difference there was, and how _good_ it felt. Even though he was having real, physical sex—and with another man, no less—it was unforgettable. The feel of Ivan in and around him was intoxicating, and as he looked up at the man grunting and panting above him, he had the urge to kiss him.

He reached up to the man, bridging the small distance between them, and pulled on Ivan to get to his level. The man's thrusts faltered at the action, but once he received Alfred's kiss he found his rhythm once more. Ivan kissed Alfred deeply as he started to pick up his pace, making the blonde moan loudly into their kiss.

The kiss ended when the need for air became too great, and the room erupted in the sounds moaning and deep groans. Alfred moved to latch onto Ivan as he felt Ivan thrusting faster, making him rock on the bed. He moaned into the crook of his scarred neck as he clawed at his back. Ivan growled from the slight stinging Alfred caused on his back, but didn't mind it at all.

Ivan moaned out Alfred's name as he adjusted his position, moving to drag Alfred closer to him, bringing his ass up, and then laying on top of him to hold him. The new angle allowed him to thrust deeper and harder. Alfred couldn't contain his moans, he had never been so loud in his life, and it felt amazing. He couldn't take any more than he already was, he could feel himself right on the edge.

"O-Oh shit! I-Ivan, I'm— _Ah!_ "

Ivan knew full well what Alfred was trying to say and only moved faster. He could feel his own climax too close for his needs. He wanted to do so much more with Alfred, but he guessed it'd have to wait for another night.

"IVAN!"

Alfred cried out in pleasure as he came, his thick spunk splattering between him and Ivan. The Russian growled for Alfred as he felt the other tense up on him, firmly trapping him inside and making him spill everything he had. He held onto Alfred tightly as he came into him, and he could feel Alfred's fingers digging into his skin as he came. Alfred's back was arched sharply as his mouth hung open in a silent scream; never had he felt anything so intense.

When Alfred finished he found himself going completely slack, feeling boneless. Ivan himself felt the same, and collapsed on top of Alfred. Both of them rested in their position, tired, sweaty, and breathing raggedly. Seconds passed, that seemed like minutes, before Ivan tried moving. The Russian pulled out slowly then rolled over, getting wedged between the wall and Alfred. He looked over to Alfred as he realized that he was completely silent, and saw that the other had his eyes closed. For a moment, Ivan wondered if he had passed out.

"Alfred? Moye solnyshko?" Ivan called out softly as he nudged the B-Class.

Alfred gave a sleepy hum as he opened his eyes slowly, then a grin slowly spread across his face as he looked at Ivan.

"Are you okay?" Ivan asked as he found himself smiling back.

"Yeah, that…that was _amazing_ ," Alfred said hoarsely, a smile still on his face as he struggled to keep his eyes open. "I'm glad we did it."

Ivan smiled wider at hearing this and moved to kiss Alfred.

"I love you, Alfred," he whispered.

Alfred gave a hum at hearing this and moved closer to Ivan. A low chuckle escaped him as he watched Alfred, and gently stroked his tousled hair. He found himself never wanting to leave this moment, never wanting to be parted from Alfred.

"I will protect you this time. They will have to kill me for me to fail this time," Ivan vowed to Alfred and himself.

Ivan kissed Alfred's head then tried to unlatch himself from Alfred, wanting to clean them up and get them into bed properly, but Alfred only tightened his hold. Ivan tried to move again, but Alfred wouldn't let him. Ivan sighed tiredly and decided to give up; though he did snag a small blanket that had fallen off the bed before laying back down. He tugged it over them and got more comfortable, pulling Alfred onto his chest with an arm under him as the Russian laid on his back.

As the sounds of the city began to lull him to sleep he kissed Alfred once more, vowing to meet the blonde once again in his bedroom as soon as the battle was over.

* * *

**Translations:**

My sunshine – moye solnyshko

moy dorogoy – my darling

***Yeah... so This turned out to be 13 pages long J and a little on to the 14th page but eh. I didn't mean for it to get that long but hey... It's good right? Hopefully? :T ***

 


	15. Chapter 15

**15**

Alfred woke up to the feeling of intense heat, and something heavy on his body. He opened his eyes to find himself smothered by Ivan and bathed in sunlight. He blinked several times to adjust to the bright light, then turned his head towards Ivan, pressing their foreheads together in an effort to relieve himself of the sunlight. He let out a sigh as he looked at Ivan while his mind started to work off the haze of sleep. He spent those few thoughtless moments taking in Ivan's face. The Russian's ash blonde hair was tousled and looked silver in the sunlight. His bangs were splayed out in his face, which caused him to wiggle his large nose to remove the hair. Alfred found himself smiling at the sight, then absentmindedly leaned forward to place a kiss on Ivan's nose. The Russian wiggled his nose once more from the act, then moved to turn his face into Alfred's body. Alfred stayed still as Ivan got closer to him; the Russian resting his head beneath Alfred's chin as his arms tightened more before going slack.

' _Cute.'_

Alfred didn't think much of his thought, other than that it seemed fitting. He moved a hand to run through Ivan's shaggy hair, and it was then that he realized something.

Ivan was completely naked, and so was he. Not only this, but a dull ache resided in his lower half.

A nearly inaudible gasp escaped him at this realization, and instantly the events that led to this morning began playing through his head. He felt his face heat up as he remembered the way he acted and what Ivan—what _they_ had done to each other.

' _I, I really did it. We really did it…'_

Alfred felt his chest swell as he recalled the night before, feeling proud yet a little embarrassed with himself. Never had he acted like the way he did the night before, and looking back on it made him more than just a little embarrassed. Ivan had made him feel things he had never felt before on more than one occasion, and what he did to him the night before had been above and beyond. He could confidently say that sex between men was much more satisfying, better than virtual touch and impulses, although it was nerve wrecking. The feel of Ivan around and in him, his hands, tongue, teeth, hair; everything about it was more than he could have anticipated, and even though it hurt it wasn't as horrible as he thought it to be. Just thinking of these small details made his heart race, and Alfred found himself blushing as he laid next to Ivan. He looked at the Russian completely oblivious to his flighty heart and overwhelmed state. A grin broke out on his face, and Alfred put a hand to it, feeling his cheeks burning under his palm.

"Da—"

Alfred stopped himself from saying the curse, a sense of unconditional worry coming over him, but then relaxed as he thought: _'I don't have to worry anymore…'_

Alfred's blue eyes looked around the room before he let the word slip out.

"Damn."

He paused for a moment, as if expecting a repercussion for his forbidden word, but nothing came. When he had said more than just this simple word to the S-Class and B-Classes torturing him he was punished for it, but here he wasn't. He was free of S-3 City, of the Grand Haven World. Now he was free to do as he wished. He was free to let "the tainted influences" do as they wished.

"Damn," he said again, the word feeling more comfortable on his tongue than ever before.

He let out a chuckle and moved the hand from his burning face to run it through his hair. He laid his head back as he felt relieved and practically giddy as he laid in Ivan's arms. His chest felt like it would explode from the emotions he was feeling, but he quickly calmed himself when he felt Ivan tighten his hold on him. He took a deep breath and moved his eyes around the room, taking in the place that had come to mean so much to him in so little time. The window was his favorite thing in the whole room. It was always open and gave him a view of the sky he had never bothered to notice. Tall and crumbling buildings and trees lined the very bottom of the windowsill, while above the sun was becoming blocked by clouds. The varying shades of grey floated through the sky in a way he'd never seen, and he was amazed to see the sun peek through them. It looked like a yellow disk behind the clouds, a simple dot in the sky. He could hear the bustle of the city as well, and closed his eyes to relax in the noise. The feel of the blocked sun, of Ivan against him, Ivan's heart beating against his body, the sound of his breathing, and the city; it was simply euphoric. Better than relaxers, better than anything he'd ever experienced in the Grand Haven World.

' _I never want to leave.'_

The moment he thought this, Ivan's breathing took on an irregular sound followed by movement. Alfred opened his eyes to see Ivan waking up, stretching out his stiff limbs as best he could then heaving a breath. Ivan's violet eyes opened up halfway, and a lazy smile came to his face as he saw Alfred beside him.

"Dobroye utro moye solntse."

Alfred looked at Ivan at a complete loss for what he just said, and Ivan smiled more and hugged Alfred tightly. The blonde watched Ivan bury himself into him, and he found himself reaching out and combing his fingers through the unruly ash blonde locks. Neither of them said a word as time seemed to tick by slowly. Both were just enjoying each other's presence and the sound of the world outside of the window. Alfred sighed lightly as he listened to the city and Ivan breathing against him.

' _I never want to leave.'_

This repetitive thought was different from the previous. A sense of reluctance and restlessness accompanied it. Alfred knew the cause of it, and knew he had to face the facts. The fact that they would be fighting against The Givers soon; fact that both he and Ivan could possibly never come back from it; fact that his time in the Special Wing would be seen by his friends, would be seen by Ivan. He didn't want any of this. He wanted to stay in Ivan's room, in his bed, with Ivan wrapped around him, and the window forever open.

"Alfred?"

Ivan looked up at Alfred as he felt the other's hand fall still, then tangle into his hair as he gripped it. The blonde's face was mostly blank, but a worried melancholy resided in his eyes.

"Alfred?" Ivan repeated, this time moving his hand to his hair and gently pulling Alfred's fingers free.

He held Alfred's hand worriedly as he looked at the other, who finally came out of his thoughts and looked back at him.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Did you say something?" Alfred asked, a crooked grin appearing on his face.

"Not really… Is something wrong?" Ivan inquired as he rubbed his thumb over Alfred's knuckles.

The blonde seemed to pause at the question, then looked down at their hands before letting out a sigh.

"I'm still easy to read?"

Ivan gave a nod to this as Alfred moved his hand to slip his fingers between Ivan's.

"Sorry, I just…"

"You can tell me Alfred. Is... is it about last night?" Ivan asked realizing that Alfred might, in fact, have an issue with what they had done the night before.

Alfred's face tinted a faint pink at the question.

"Not exactly. I mean, I liked it, I really did! It was, more than I could have expected, and I'm still glad we did it," he admitted.

Ivan smiled at hearing this and kissed his hand.

"You don't hurt anywhere?"

Alfred shook his head no, but as he thought about it, he had felt a dull ache when he had woken up, but it was practically gone by now.

"Earlier, but it wasn't bad, honest," Alfred amended, then paused a moment as he tried to think of how to form his words. "Besides, it's just… The preparations are nearly finished, and soon we'll be out fighting…Soon you, and everyone else, will…" Alfred trailed off as he felt his unease grasping at his heart.

Ivan gazed at Alfred with a calculated look, then slowly sat up in bed. Alfred watched him, feeling breathless at the sight of his love haloed by the light from the window. The grey clouds had parted just as he settled himself, allowing the sunlight to come through, as well as a breeze that held the scent of rain. In that moment Alfred felt his unease lessen as he stared into violet eyes and a kind face.

"Alfred, no matter what happens, you will be safe. Even if the worst is to come, I know you'll be there to pick up the pieces, and I will be grateful to you for that burden and I will be there to share it with you. You are everything to me."

Ivan watched Alfred carefully as he took in his words. Alfred felt his heart aching even more at what Ivan had said, but accepted it nonetheless. He sat up as well and moved to hug Ivan gently.

"Promise me… that you won't see the recordings," Alfred demanded in a soft voice.

"I promise."

Ivan sealed his promise with a kiss on Alfred's lip as a lazy rain began to fall.

**:/:/:/:/:**

"What are you doing?"

Francis turned his head from the door he was pressed against to see Arthur beside him.

"I came to get Ivan and Alfred, but it appears that they are occupied," Francis said in a hushed voice as he casually backed away from the door as if he'd never been eavesdropping.

Arthur on the other hand was not amused by the Frenchman's activity and crossed his arms over his chest. He opened his mouth to start lecturing him about common decency, but Francis was quick to curtail him with his own words.

"They make a cute couple, no?"

Arthur froze at the question, and stared at Francis smiling at him. In that moment of pause, Alfred and Ivan's voices filtered through the door and a laugh with it. Arthur took his eyes off Francis as he gave a nod, and a soft smile came to his face.

"... Yes, they do."

Francis smiled brighter at hearing this, and wrapped an arm around Arthur's shoulders.

"Of course they do, and I believe _we_ would as well," Francis purred.

Arthur stiffened, and calmly grabbed the hand that rested on his chest. He held it in a tight grip and squeezed, until the other yanked his hand back in pain.

"If you think I would ever fall for someone like you, you are sorely mistaken," Arthur stated as Francis inspected his aching hand. "Alfred and Ivan's relationship is nothing to compare us to—not that there will ever be an 'us'!" Arthur huffed then turned on his heel to leave for the stairs.

Francis sighed as he watched Arthur go, but didn't let him leave with the last word.

"Mon ami, you are adorable when like this," Francis commented with a sly smile. "And besides, I'm sure your friends would be approving, just like I know they are with Ivan and Alfred."

The S-Class stopped dead in his tracks.

"How do you know how they feel?" he snapped. "Neither Alfred nor Ivan have mentioned it to them."

"I just know," Francis said wisely. "It's in their eyes. And even if they were taught otherwise, they are happy for Alfred and they will tell him so when Alfred is ready," he added as he stood on the second stair, looking down at Arthur. "And Arthur, you don't have to worry about anything here. Just relax, or you will get wrinkles all over that pretty face before you turn forty."

Arthur blushed at hearing this, a combination of anger and embarrassment turning his cheeks a brilliant crimson.

"I've had just about enough of you for today, and it's barely past noon," Arthur stated, then turned back to head downstairs.

Francis walked slowly after him, eyeing Arthur from the way he walked to the way his ears stayed bright red. Francis could honestly say he had no idea way he was so set on Arthur. Ever since they met it had been short words and irritation, but there was something about the irritable man that intrigued him.

' _Perhaps my taste in lovers has changed,'_ Francis thought as he rounded the corner and watched Arthur go outside to the porch.

The front door was already open and he could see the other team mates through the screen door. They all sat together watching the rain as it fell and the people out and about. None of them really paid Arthur any mind, but Arthur did look at them with a curious look then straight ahead. Francis could see the tension in his back go slack as he started to watch the rain, and in that moment Francis wished he could see his face.

' _Amour is wondrous,'_ Francis mused.

Arthur glanced behind himself absentmindedly, only to find that no one resided at the screen door.

' _You know who you're looking for.'_

This unconscious thought made Arthur's heart skip a beat, but he quickly pushed it aside.

' _You're smarter than to stoop to his level,'_ Arthur told himself, even though he felt a little disappointed at not seeing the bothersome blonde through the screen.

Ever since he'd met Francis he couldn't stand the man, but at the same time he had captured his attention in a way Arthur had thought impossible. He was a dignified citizen, a high class citizen, but now...

' _Now none of that matters.'_

A flicker of something warm settled in Arthur's chest as he thought about this, but his uncertainty was still very much in place. He had the knowledge to understand emotions, but what Francis was causing him was something he couldn't quite grasp. Francis was filth, and he'd be damned if he fell for his persistent touches, lack of understanding about personal space, or the use of his strange, smooth, intriguing language.

' _My word… I ca—'_

The sound of glass shattering startled Arthur from his strange reverie, and he looked up to catch a fading glimpse of lightning through grey clouds.

"It's weird that we've never paid attention to this," Matthew said softly as he looked at the sky.

Arthur looked over to the group of men as they agreed with Matthew. Yong Soo even stuck his hand out over the porch railing to feel the cool rain. In that moment, Arthur could tell that the team he'd come to govern since they were commissioned to him five years ago, had changed. They seemed… natural. Naturally relaxed, naturally curious, naturally open. It was obvious to see that, even as they sat in their uniforms on the dirty porch, they felt content with their situation. They'd even become friends with the Radicals over the past few days.

'… _besides, I'm sure your friends would be approving, just like I know they are for Ivan and Alfred.'_

Without thinking, Arthur turned to the others and asked, "What do you lot think of Alfred and Ivan?"

He immediately wished he hadn't asked, but the feeling subsided as he saw the looks of thought on the citizen's faces.

"I think they're okay," Matthew said as he looked at Arthur. "I mean, I know they are more than just friends, which is a bit…strange. But Alfred is happy, I don't mind."

"I agree," said Kiku. "As long as Alfred is happy and himself, it's fine."

"He'll probably tell us for himself what he and Ivan are. He never was one to talk about his relationships," Young Soo mentioned.

Arthur had to agree with Yong Soo on that, as did everyone else on the porch. Alfred never spoke much about his partners, and when he did, it was just simple compliments or small details.

"What do you think about them?" Kiku asked as he looked Arthur curiously.

Arthur had a soft smile come to his face as he thought about the question, then turned his head to look out at the falling rain.

"They're perfect together."

The others gave sounds of agreement and turned back to the rain, though Kiku stayed focused on Arthur a little longer before he turned his head.

'" _They make a cute couple no?" "Of course they do, and I believe we would as well."'_

Arthur took a deep breath as he heard Francis' words echo through his mind.

' _Perhaps… No, I will not be persuaded so_ easily _by filth,'_ Arthur thought proudly, a smirk coming to his face as another crack of lightning split the sky.

At that moment, the group noticed a vehicle driving towards the house. It rounded the intersection at the far end of the street then headed up to the front of the house, splashing muddy water as it got onto the gravel-covered driveway. When it shut off, the passenger door opened first and the familiar face of Feliciano was smiling at the four on the porch.

"Buon pomeriggio,you guys!" he shouted happily through the rain, before jumping out of the massive vehicle.

At that same time the driver side opened and Ludwig stepped out as well. He gave a greeting of his own as he slipped on a satchel and closed the door, then warned Feliciano to slow down before he slipped on the porch stairs.

"Well, good afternoon to you, too," Arthur said as the two stepped onto the porch.

Feliciano smiled brightly then went off to hug Kiku, who he'd become friends with rather quickly. Kiku tried to avoid it, but he was cornered too quickly and had to surrender to his fate; though it was quick since Feliciano was damp from the rain.

"Are Francis and Ivan here?" Ludwig asked Arthur as he ran a hand through his wet hair.

"Yes, Francis is most likely in the kitchen, though Ivan might still be in bed."

Ludwig paused for a moment at hearing of Ivan's location, but didn't comment. He just gave a simple thank you and started to head into the house, but Arthur made him stop as he asked if something was amiss.

"Nein," said Ludwig calmly, "I just need a check through."

With that, Ludwig proceeded into the house and Arthur was left curious. Ludwig was a nice enough man, though nothing like Gilbert, whom Arthur had been informed was his older brother. Arthur didn't mind Ludwig, he was serious and always timely, which he admired, but he also seemed very distant. Not just with him, but everyone. However, that closed-off-ness seemed to lessen considerably when Feliciano was around him.

The German was Ivan's organizer and he did his job well, exceptionally well, and when things went wrong he was quick to act.

"Oh, bonjour, Ludwig! What brings you here?" Francis called as he saw Ludwig in the kitchen entrance.

He and Katyusha had been discussing recipes and reminiscing of dishes that would never see the light of day again.

"I need to speak with you and Ivan. I need a check through," Ludwig said simply as he tugged on the strap of his satchel.

Francis gave a sigh, but nodded his head and stood up from the table. He thanked Katyusha for her time, then escorted Ludwig up to the second floor of the old house. He stopped in front of Ivan's door while Ludwig continued on to the office at the very end of the hallway. Francis listened for a moment, hearing the voices beyond, then knocked on it deeming it safe to do so.

"Who is it?" Ivan's voice came loud and clear through the door.

"It's me, Francis. Ludwig is here as well and he needs a check through."

Francis couldn't keep himself from inching closer to the door, pressing his ear to the wood to hear what was going on. He heard the sound of Alfred asking Ivan not to leave and Ivan denying him, though reluctantly. The bed was creaking as Alfred gave up, followed by barely audible sounds, which Francis could tell that they were the sounds of a kiss, of many kisses.

Eventually those sounds ceased, and after a moment or two of feet walking to and fro the bedroom door was opened. Ivan stood before Francis looking ready for what laid ahead, but it was obvious that he was in pure bliss. He seemed more present than he ever been and more content as well, though his mood was a bit damped by the fact a check through was needed. Ivan had been left alone with Alfred all day except once to get the door for Natalia, who had brought them breakfast.

Francis gave an all-knowing smirk to Ivan. The Russian just arched a brow in return and closed the door behind him.

"Someone has been quite busy, _no_?" Francis inquired as Ivan moved past him.

"Perhaps they have been, but that is _their_ business, Francis," Ivan stated without hesitation.

Francis laughed at hearing this and went on after Ivan into his office. Ludwig was already set up in the little seating area in the room in front of the desk. When he saw Ivan, he could tell, just like Francis, that the man was in much better condition than he had been ever since their last battle many weeks ago.

"Good afternoon, Ludwig," Ivan said as he took a seat in a chair across from Ivan.

"Good afternoon," Ludwig replied then handed over the data pad he had brought with him. "Here's everything we have so far and what is coming in," he said.

Ivan hummed as he looked it over, and Francis looked over his shoulder to see the screen as well.

"I see, Antonio is running late with his shipment due to S-6," Ivan said as his brow furrowed.

"Ja, and not only that, The Giver's main force is getting closer," replied Ludwig. "Our outpost near their site reported back this afternoon."

"How much closer?" Francis asked first.

"About 1000 km. That leaves us 6000 km out of range now."

"Arthur was right," Francis said, and Ivan just looked at the data intensely.

"We'll have to attack as soon as possible before they inch their way any closer," Francis stated.

Ludwig agreed with him, and both of them looked to Ivan who was still silent.

"Ivan?"

The Russian looked up from the data, having switched the screen to the plans they had come up with days before.

"Have you managed to hack into their systems?" Ivan asked Ludwig.

"Ja, partially. The tech we have is having trouble staying compatible with The Givers' systems, but we're close."

"And the footage of Alfred is safe?"

Ludwig nodded his head at the question as a sense of unease settled in his stomach. He had seen the recordings of the blonde when they had had the idea of just sending the video from the base and into the system, but with lack of compatibility the video ended up playing on a loop on every screen in the base. Thankfully it was during the late night, since Toris, Yong Soo, and Arthur stayed late. Ludwig had accompanied them, ready to assist in any way he could. He had never known that such cruelty could be given to a citizen in the "perfect" world.

"Good," Ivan responded, "just focus on getting the compatibility in order and getting in. The sooner you can do that, the sooner we can deactivate everything they have. That will buy us the time we need," he finished as he stood from his seat giving the screen back. "Everything depends on hacking Grand Haven's systems, and I would like for it to be done tomorrow if at all possible."

"But it's already taken them nearly a week to get this far," Francis stated.

"Da, but like you both said, we need to attack as soon as possible. We don't have any other options."

Ivan gave a stern glance to Ludwig and Francis, and both of them could only agree. Time was of the essence and their fates rested on Yong Soo, Arthur, and Toris.

"Very well, I'll get Arthur and Yong Soo and take them to the base with me and Feli."

"Good," said Ivan with a nod, "use Gilbert as a human umbrella if you have to. I know the signal is going to be much weaker since it's raining today, but I believe he'll find his time to be 'awesome'," he added with a smirk.

Ludwig smiled at the joke, knowing that Gilbert was still on Ivan's bad side. The albino had been quite handsy lately with Matthew since he arrived, and had managed to mistake Alfred for Matthew not long ago. Ivan hadn't been pleased with the incident, and made a point to let Gilbert know it.

"Will do," Ludwig answered, his smile still in place, as he gathered his things then headed out.

Ivan and Francis remained in the office but didn't speak. The sounds of Ludwig yelling at Feliciano to get off of him, the opening and closing of car doors, and the rev of an engine coming to life filled the silence momentarily, before it all faded into the patter of rain.

"Francis," said Ivan, turning to the Frenchman, "I want you… to get ahold of Bear, and tell her to be on standby."

Francis stared at Ivan, speechless. He wanted it to be a joke, but he knew it wasn't. Ivan had a stern but saddened expression on his face as he looked at him.

"Ivan, are you sure about this?" Francis asked.

The Russian shook his head.

"Things are going to get out of hand, I know this, and I just want everything at our disposal. Worst case scenario, da?"

Francis stared at Ivan, but he understood his need for precautions. They were going to do something that they never done before on a scale so massive it was bound to have a hiccup or two. To ask for the standby of a 24th century warhead was for something far bigger than a hiccup… A worst case scenario.

"Alright, I'll call her, but I pray we won't need her," Francis stated as he gave into the logic of the demand, and started to move out of the room.

"As do I," Ivan said as he looked out the window of his office.

He knew it was necessary, he knew it was reasonable, but he just didn't want to be a murderer like the government he had sworn to protect people from.

* * *

**Translations:**

Dobroye utro moye solntse. – Good morning my sunshine

mon ami – my friend

amour – love

Buon pomeriggio – Good afternoon

nein – no

ja/da – yes

bonjour – Hello

***Shit's getting real! Only 2 chapters left! ^J^ Thanks for sticking with me so far! Reviews welcomed!***


	16. Chapter 16

**The end is near! lol**

* * *

**16**

The light taps of fingers on plastic filled the silent room with a soft echo. None of the eight people residing in it spoke as they scanned through the information on their screens.

"It appears our new weapon is fully functional," said The Giver of S-5, finally breaking the silence.

"It appears so," commented The Giver of S-8.

The room fell silent once more as the group of eight rulers scanned the reports of their new weapon. They had poured everything they could into making their new weapon in such short time, and the progress it had made was stupendous.

"It has, over 100 confirmed kills in simulations," said The Giver of S-3, a subtle hint of pride in her voice.

The other Givers gave their own gestures of interest at the news of their weapon.

"Ms. Uhura will be here in one minute," came the solemn voice of The Giver of S-1.

Everyone gave a sound of acknowledgment, then looked away from their screens in time for the elevator doors to open. A woman of thin build and great height walked calmly to the table resting before The Givers. Her hair was a mass of curls pushed back by a headband that looked neon orange against her dark hair and skin. Her calculated gaze rested on the eight, who looked back at her just as precise.

"S-Class Xoliswa Uhura, Commissioner of Security-Intelligence Division of S-1," she recited stoically.

"You've come to report on our status, correct?" asked The Giver of S-2.

"Yes my Givers," she said sharply, and after a beat of pause gave her report. "All B-Classes have been outfitted with every remaining weapon. The 30-40 B-Classes that reside in all cities, except S-3, are outfitted and awaiting for an attack by the Radicals of their regions. The whole of S-3 is guarded heavily on all exits of the city by 20-30 B-Classes. The remainder of every B-Class in S-3 and other cities are out in the field at the Line.

"The drones range and stealth mode issues are still in the progress of being fixed, but we have managed to move another 1000 km as of today. No Radicals have been sighted thus far, but the new weapon is, itching, to greet them," Xoliswa said as coolly as she had started, though a smile graced her lips.

The Givers looked at her with blank expressions, though it was easy to see by the look in their eyes that they were impressed. Even with the extreme lack of manpower they had managed to stretch their forces far enough to cover all their bases.

"Are we ready for battle upon call?" The Giver of S-3 asked as she looked at the woman.

"Absolutely."

The Givers exchanged looks, then looked back to the S-Class.

"It has been well over a month or so since our last fight with those heathens, and it's only a matter of time before they strike," said The Giver of S-6.

"Agreed," said The Giver of S-3. "And since they are equipped with five of my citizens it's only a matter of seconds."

The Givers agreed with each other on this, as did Xoliswa.

"Then it's settled. Move the weapon to position and keep your eyes open," commanded The Giver of S-4.

Xoliswa nodded her head then turned at the dismissal to leave the room. As she vanished into the elevator, the eight people remaining looked down at their screens once again. Silence overcame them as before, and as the hours ticked by to the evening hour, all eight were contacted by S-Classes. All eight received the same message.

" _Radicals spotted by watchmen and moving in fast."_

**:/:/:/:/:**

Dirt clouds blew past Alfred's vision as he looked out the window while Ivan drove beside him. His blue eyes had watched the city vanish behind a barricade and forest, then the forest dissipate into tan dirt and green patches of grass and shrubs. He looked down the side of the vehicle to see other vehicles in tow, then focused back to take notice of Matthew's stern face. The blonde was looking out the window as well, but he appeared to be lost in thought. Alfred didn't say anything of it, but turned around in his seat to see Kiku and Francis beside Matthew. Yong Soo and Arthur were in another transport with Toris and Ludwig, their vehicle tailed Ivan's. He could see them through the back window of the vehicle, then turned back around to face forward.

Ivan grabbed the stick shift and slid it backwards to boost his engine power as he took notice of the long line of dark colors ahead. As they got closer, just before the action began, Alfred glanced over at Ivan, watching him start to tense up. He noticed his hand on the gear shift and moved to put his own over it. Ivan glanced over to Alfred then changed his demeanor as he took Alfred's hand, entwining their fingers.

"I love you," Ivan said over the roar of machinery, which came out to be at the volume of a whisper, a whisper that Alfred found himself cherishing.

Alfred went to return the sentiment, but a blaring horn ripped his words and Ivan's attention away. Up ahead a sailing ball of electrical energy was coming for them, and Ivan swerved his vehicle, which made Ludwig do the same just in time to avoid the attack. The long range tech missed by a good margin and it only proved that their cloaking was working as fine as ever.

" _Toris, get ready_ ," Ivan's voice stated as it came through the radio in the dashboard of Ludwig's vehicle.

Toris swallowed thickly as he began to try his hand at doing his job for the first time away from the base.

"Toris, are you ready?" Ludwig shouted over the increasing noise as he followed Ivan's erratic driving swerve for swerve.

Toris fumbled with Arthur's screen in his hands as he tried to steady it and himself. He wasn't one for up and close fighting, and his nerves were straining as he started to hear gunfire and screams.

"TORIS!?"

The Lithuanian jumped at his name being screamed and he looked beside him to see Arthur's face staring at him.

"R-Right, YES! I'M READY!" Toris shouted, and in that moment he suddenly felt calm.

Calm enough to do what he, Arthur, and Yong Soo, had been spending so much time working on. He pulled up the windows he needed on the screen, and dragged a file over to the window holding the home screen of the Grand Haven World network. Once the file was accepted into the window the weapon fire ceased and the screams and shouts increased.

Horns blared out a signal that had Ludwig shifting gears to push his beloved vehicle faster, chasing after Ivan as he pulled ahead. The weapons had been deactivated, any more bloodshed had been avoided, for now, and the next phase was to begin. The storming and destruction of S-3 City, of Grand Haven World.

As the mob of vehicles carrying more Radicals than ever raced off, the citizens at the line watched speechless. Their weapons were inoperative, their plans trashed, their hopes of winning were looking slimmer every second the Radicals passed by their defenses.

"ALERT THE GIVERS!" someone finally yelled over the roar of the Radicals' vehicles.

This sent them all into a frenzy, and soon transports still functioning from the rundown of Radical vehicles were filling up with B-Classes and S-Classes. The transports took off for the city, leaving behind their defensive line with their useless weapons, and chasing the tails of Radicals.

"Good mercy, how did they know of the failsafe?" The Giver of S-4 questioned, anger clear in his voice.

"Arthur, that S-Class who went to join them, is the commissioner of the Security-Field, so of course he would know it," seethed the Giver of S-7.

"Damn it!"

The other Givers looked as S-3's Giver cursed and tapped an irritated finger against the table.

"Don't worry, our new weapon can't succumb to that failsafe. He'll take care of them," assured the Giver of S-1 in a soft tone as she looked at her troubled colleague.

This fact indeed soothed her mind, but she, and the other Givers, were still quite peeved at their failed foresight. The Giver opened her mouth to comment on their unfavorable situation, but was cut off as a massive explosion shook the city. The Givers all whirled around to face the window wall, and saw a massive red ball of sparks shimmering above the city edge.

"It has begun," she whispered.

From the view of the tower, Radical vehicles could be seen bulldozing their way through B-Classes with ineffective weapons. From above it looked like tainted water pouring into a clean bowl, but on the ground it was much more difficult. Ivan was having trouble avoiding the defenseless citizens as he drove his vehicle in—the point of this mission was to get rid of the Givers, not to start a massacre. The rest of his fellow Radicals moved cautiously around him. Some broke off into alleyways and backstreets, while others were still plowing through the main road. Ivan and Ludwig stayed close as they drove into the city first, but as they crossed the C-Class domain, Gilbert's bulldozer-like truck popped up from a backstreet and cleared the path of everything in its way.

Alfred and Arthur directed their drivers to their destination the instant they made it into the center of the city. The Control Building was where they needed to go. It was the central hub of everything, and The Givers would still be there, sitting comfortably as they waited.

The Givers had no reason to run; their world was perfect, after all. It would only be a matter of time before the Radicals were finished—or so they thought. But as they watched the dark flow of Radicals coming further in, and two vehicles vanish beneath their view…They were starting to have their first seed of doubt.

** :/:/:/:/: **

Ivan skidded the vehicle to a stop, and once he shut it off everyone jumped out and rushed into the building. The S-Classes still residing in the building fled as they called for B-Classes to defend them. The B-Classes that normally guarded the building, however, were nowhere to be seen. All of them were out in the city as ordered—which left Ivan and Ludwig to scare them off with smoke canisters. The S-Classes ran off wherever they could, some shouting about the Givers and others just screaming and panicking. Arthur rolled his eyes as he covered his face with a gas mask and led Toris and Yong Soo to the screen behind the front desk, then pointed Ivan to the direction for the elevator.

Ivan walked briskly to it with Alfred, Kiku, and Francis on his heels but as they headed for it Ivan suddenly stopped. He felt as if someone was looking at him.

"Ivan?"

The Radical Leader held up his hand, then looked back to the front desk to see the others working steadily on the screen.

"We're in!" Yong Soo informed.

At that moment something leapt out of the smoke and attacked Francis. The Frenchman had been standing guard with Ludwig in front of the desk when something heavy pounced on him. He let out a shriek as he was pinned down by something—or rather, someone. The attacker was wearing all black, with a pair of goggles and a gas mask that completely concealed their face. Francis' shriek of surprise turned to one of pain as he felt something sharp pierce his leg. Arthur instantly turned to the source of the noise, only to see Francis lying unconscious on the ground, a good sized dart buried in his thigh. Without thinking Arthur tried to run over to him, but Ludwig held him back.

"You work. I'll take care of him," Ludwig commanded, and aimed his gun at the figure in black.

He cocked his gun, which brought the figure's attention to him and only him. The attacker got off of Francis and stared at Ludwig, unmoving. The German eyed them strangely, but just as he was about to pull the trigger, he felt a stinging sensation in his arm. He continued to look at the figure as he felt his arm going numb, then his entire right side. Ludwig stared at the man, completely stunned. He hadn't seen him move an inch and yet, he had somehow attacked him. He felt his vision starting to blur, and in his weakened state he pulled the trigger with an odd combination of his left and right hands. The bullets fired off as he felt his legs growing weak and his vision faded out. The figure in black dodged the bullets that had come near him, then once Ludwig was down he eyed the three at the desk. He took one step closer to them, but came to a stop as a bullet whizzed past his head and embedded itself into the wall behind the desk.

The attacker turned around to see who had fired at him, and as the smoke finally cleared out, he could see the Radical Leader glaring at him. He didn't move from his place in front of the desk, and reached up to take off his gas mask and goggles. He pulled the objects off his face and tossed them to the floor to look at his opponents. Alfred sucked in a breath as he saw the face looking back, as did Kiku.

"Kyle?" Kiku gasped, unable to process what he was seeing.

The man before them cocked his head to the side as if not recognizing the name, but the face he had definitely was that of Kyle's. The combed back hair and cowlick, tanned skin, and green eyes were familiar, but something about it all wasn't Kyle at the same time. He looked… blank, as if everything that was Kyle had been erased. Alfred felt his heart pounding as he took in the man's face.

"Who are you?" Alfred asked, wondering if this truly was their Kyle, or just someone from his genetic group.

"I am an X-Class. I weed out the war-makers, protect the peace," he said flatly.

His voice was distinctly recognizable as Kyle's.

"There's no such thing," Arthur said, a bit too loudly. The X-Class turned to look at him.

"I am an X-Class. I weed out the war-maker, protect the peace. By my Givers' faith and word, I will do my duty," he repeated in the same monotone voice.

Without another word Kyle ran for Arthur, but instead of attacking him like Ivan and everyone else had anticipated, he ran up the side of the desk and flipped back to throw his darts at Ivan. The Russian was quick on his feet and dodged the darts, but only by a hair. When the X-Class landed on the ground he whipped out a small blade that sparked with electricity. He charged Ivan with the knife, but he didn't get to go for him straight on. Ivan began shooting his gun, though he was cautious of aiming it at Alfred or anyone else. Kyle was extremely agile for a man of his size, and had Ivan spinning in circles trying to shoot him. The Russian cursed as Kyle kept moving, but then started firing slower, letting the man get closer to him. He knew he was risking his life by doing this, but he already was doing so the second he formed the plan. Kyle got very close and as he passed by he let held his knife steady, but before he could embed it into Ivan, the Russian fell to the ground and kicked at his legs.

Kyle tripped over him, but quickly saved himself from falling over and turned back around. He ran at Ivan again as the man was getting up and the Radical took him head on. Kyle made a move to jab at his arm but he blocked it and grabbed his wrist. He twisted hard, intent on breaking it, but the X-Class had other plans. He reached for Ivan's scarfed neck with his free hand, and as Ivan focused on trying to prevent getting strangled, Kyle took that chance to hold onto Ivan's arms and lift himself off the ground. He kicked Ivan in the chest and pushed off of him to get free. Ivan fell to the floor and Kyle picked up his knife once more. Ivan coughed loudly as he tried to get up, but Kyle was on him before he could.

The two locked eyes on each other as Kyle pressed his knife against Ivan's throat, but he didn't have time to react to as a gun fired at him. Kyle screeched as he felt a bullet puncture his side, and he dropped his knife as he fell back. Ivan kicked at him as he finally got up and looked to the shooter who yelled:

"I'm sorry, Kyle!"

Alfred stood near the elevator holding his gun up with a pained look on his face. The X-Class let out a low growl and looked at Alfred as he aimed his gun at him. He slowly got up from the ground and stood on shaky legs before the B-Class. He was staring Alfred down, and Alfred could have sworn that for a second a look of recognition appeared on his face. Whether it had been there or not, Alfred would never know, because the X-Class let out a cry and lunged for him. Ivan didn't allow him to get too far, however. He stepped in his path and whacked the X-Class in the head with his gun, effectively stopping him from reaching Alfred. Kyle stumbled as he whirled around and grabbed at the gun, trying to yank it free from Ivan's hands, but the Russian wouldn't let go. He was dragged with the gun, but he quickly let go as he saw a dart get into the attacker's hands. He stumbled back, and even stumbled more to the point he fell over as the building itself started to shake. Everyone froze as they felt the shaking and it was then that they remembered the plan.

_Infiltrate S-3. Destroy the buildings with the most connection to The Givers._

When the shaking ended Arthur, Yong Soo, and Toris looked away from the scene before them and back to the screen to see the download bar nearly full. They had spent all this time working on the system and was now finally nearing completion. They just needed a little more time.

Arthur looked up from the screen as a howl of pain erupted and saw the X-Class dropping down to one knee. He held his abdomen and sucked in a breath as he looked at Alfred with blurry vision. Alfred had shot him again, though with unease in his heart and shaky hands. He knew the man before him was Kyle, was the man that sacrificed himself for Alfred's life. Kyle, however didn't remember his deeds. All he knew was to apprehend those who opposed the Givers. To make _examples_ of them.

"Kyle stop!" Alfred shouted as he watched the man get up once more.

Blood was running from his mouth and forehead as he got onto his feet.

"I am an X-Class," he started and reached into one of the pockets of his pants. "I weed out the war-makers, protect the peace. This is my job, this is my role."

Upon completion of reciting his life purpose the X-Class charged for Alfred with something in his hand. Alfred felt his heart aching as he held his ground, not moving an inch as he saw the enraged green eyes focused on him. He aimed to take fire, but as he readied to pull the trigger Kyle dipped to the left and hit Ivan in the leg. He hooked his arm around Ivan and dragged the man down to the ground, making sure he wouldn't interfere again, before getting back up and coming for Alfred. Alfred's blue eyes were widened as he saw the Radical Leader get taken down, and he couldn't find the will to move as he watched Ivan clutch his leg in pain. Blood was quickly soaking Ivan's pants, and he felt like he would throw up from the fear strangling his heart. He had forgotten all about Kyle in that instant, but someone else didn't.

Alfred dropped his gun to rush over to Ivan, who looked at him with horror and screamed at him to stop. Kyle lunged for Alfred, but didn't make it. The man was shot through the head at that moment, right in front of Alfred as he turned his head to see the X-Class coming for him. Blood and fragments of skull and brains splattered onto Alfred as Kyle's unresponsive body collided with him. Ivan whipped his head back and up to see Kiku looking calm and collected, though his hands were trembling slightly as he gripped a gun.

"Oh mercy, oh mercy, oh mercy!" Alfred cried out repeatedly as he pushed Kyle off of him.

He wiped at the blood and bits on his face, getting it off as if it was fire. Ivan watched this and got up with a hiss. His leg felt like it was on fire, and he could feel a good size gash in it. He didn't know what Kyle had cut him with, but he didn't feel numb. He was thankful for that, but still very much afraid because it could only mean two things: he had been cut with a normal knife, or there was poison in his leg.

' _Don't think about it,'_ Ivan told himself as he limped to Alfred.

He stood firmly on his good leg as he wiped the blood from Alfred's face, then grabbed his hands to calm him down. He whispered words of English and Russian to sooth the blonde, and as Alfred gave a hiccupped cry, Toris announced:

"It's done!"

The instant the words left his mouth all the screens available in the building turned on footage of Alfred's treatment. Holograms projecting on thin plastic to show the horrors Alfred had been through for nearly a month.

"This is playing in every working screen and projector in every single city. The program will terminate by the end of the day," Yong Soo informed them.

Silence followed as they looked at the screens, but Ivan kept his eyes on Alfred. He had promised not to watch it and he was upholding that promise for his lover.

During this time the silence seemed to extend out to the world outside the Control Building. Every citizen was frozen where they were and every Radical glanced at the screens as well. They took in the video footage of Alfred's treatment; they heard his biting words, saw his pain, saw the cruelty that The Givers had promised never to give. The footage cut out time and again, but in its place it showed the Radical city and the life that existed there. It showed the farm land, the animals, the people that never looked alike.

It was captivating.

As the citizens watched, the Radicals still carried out their plan; Yao was with his crew as they placed bombs around the buildings. As he pressed the detonator, a new emotion swept over the city as the tall skyscrapers fell: doubt.

Ivan and the others could feel the shaking as buildings collapsed, and the Radical Leader looked out the glass doors to see Yao moving about with Lee and the others. He knew they needed to leave. It was only a matter of time before the Control Building fell too.

"Come on! We need to get out of here!" Ivan commanded.

The others agreed and quickly grabbed Ludwig and Francis. Arthur glared at the Frenchman as he lifted him up on his own.

"I swear, I will kill you myself if you leave me," he whispered harshly.

Ludwig was carried by Kiku, Toris, and Yong Soo. Alfred tended to Ivan, helping him hobble out of the building, but as they neared the doors the elevator pinged, and they turned as they remembered why they had been heading to the elevator in the beginning. The saw their reason walking out—all eight reasons, looking as heartless and as confident as ever.

"The Givers," Alfred whispered in surprise.

Every pair of eyes focused on the eight rulers, and watched with a mix of fear and anticipation as one of them stepped forward.

"Grand Haven is a world where imperfection does not exist. Where the remainder of sanity and humanity could thrive in peace…but _you_ —" The Giver of S-3, along with the others, looked pointedly at the Radicals and ex-citizens, " _You ruined it all_."

"You honestly believe that these people will follow you? That they will believe what they see on those screens?" came the incredulous voice of the Giver of S-2. "They are conditioned to abide by us, not by this… _hell_ that you are offering to them!" she seethed.

"We cannot, and will not, take any more of this," started the Giver of S-8, his voice harsh and cold. "We have located a few of your Radical Cities, and are prepared to destroy them all."

The other Givers took a moment of pause as they heard their colleague's words, interested with such a lie.

"How?" Arthur asked, breaking the intimidation act for a second.

"Drones, of course," the S-8 Giver replied simply.

Arthur furrowed his brow at hearing this and the man narrowed his eyes at him. "The drones have cloaking. You are very much aware of that," he supplied as he kept eyeing Arthur.

"Yes, but the cloaking took the drones off our maps as well. You could not have fixed that problem in the short days from my absences and to now," Arthur stated as he looked at the eight figures.

"Or so you believe," said the Giver of S-4, his cool grey eyes burning holes into Arthur.

Arthur just furrowed his brow even more, but didn't say anything more. He was sure that the problem couldn't have been fixed so easily. The issue with the cloaking had still yet to be solved when he was around, they had dismantled a whole drone in search of the problem, but couldn't find it.

' _Perhaps they did fix it…'_

At that moment the ground shook beneath their feet, and a light fixture fell to the floor. A reminder that Yao and the others were still out doing their job.

"You believe that we will back down because of that?" Ivan asked as he leaned away from Alfred once the shaking stopped, and did his best to stand on his own.

"Why wouldn't you?" asked the Giver of S-7.

Ivan locked his eyes onto her, then back to the Giver of S-4.

"We are not afraid of you. Bomb or not, we came here to free these people from you. Your perfect world is nothing more than a factory of drugged, brainwashed humans, reciting a purpose that limits them to nothing more than a speck of dust."

"Cocky, aren't you?" the S-7 Giver commented as she glared at him.

"I have a reason to be," Ivan said as he smirked at the eight imposing figures before him.

"And what would that reason be?" sneered the Giver of S-3.

"M.L.A.E.," Ivan said firmly, "Multi-Location Atomic Eradicator. The pride of the 24th century war. A nuclear warhead capable of targeting eight cities with the best long range tech that ever existed."

The Givers were visibly shocked at hearing this. It was unbelievable that the Radicals could possess such a weapon, even though they lived in the Old World.

"How can we be so sure you have this?" asked The Giver of S-5, a hint of fear in her voice.

"Toris," Ivan called.

The Lithuanian flinched at hearing his name, but stepped forward with a screen in hand. He gave it to Ivan, who had his hand out in waiting, then went back to the others. Ivan held up the screen to show a grainy image of the bomb's detonator.

"This," Ivan said, pointing to the button on the screen, "is the detonation button. I had Bear warm up the warhead and it's ready to go when I see fit," Ivan said darkly.

The Givers stared at it. The Giver of S-2 sucked in a breath as he saw Ivan's finger get closer to it.

"Don't be a fool!" he shouted, "You'll kill us all!"

"Da, a small price to pay for freedom."

The ground shook harder than before as silence settled over everyone. The only sound that could be heard was the screams from outside, and buildings crumbling around them. No one moved as they were locked in position of life or death—that at is, until something slammed into the Control Building. Everyone jerked their heads upwards as they saw the building caving in from its right side, the result from a destroyed skyscraper falling into it. Chunks of concrete, steel, and other building materials rained down on them, and everyone began to scatter. The threat of nuclear warfare vanished as the need to survive kicked in.

"IVAN, RUN!" Alfred screamed as a beam fell on top of where The Givers had been standing.

The Russian gawked at the sight, but let Alfred's insistent hand pull him away. He hobbled over to Alfred just as a desk from the upper floors fell in the exact spot where he had been standing. He looked back at the place where his life could have ended, and even further back, where he could have sworn he saw a Giver or two, standing up and choking on the dust that filled the room.

"Come on big guy, I can't do this by myself! Move!" Alfred pleaded frantically as he tried to catch up with the others.

The Radical turned his focus back ahead, then to Alfred, who look like he was on the verge of tears. Ivan swallowed thickly then tightened his hold on his lover and started to pull his weight to get them out of the building.

The group burst through the glass front doors, shattering them as they made it outside, but they didn't stop there. They kept running, trying to get as far away from the falling building as possible. They didn't stop until they could no longer see or hear anything flying at them from behind.

When it settled, they turned around and stared at the building in awe, then the entire city. Inner S-3 was practically a heap of rubble, while the outer areas had a few destroyed areas. Alfred couldn't even see the familiar blue tower of his security building from where they stood. The only things left standing where mostly shops, homes, and a hospital. Anything directly linked to the government, to The Givers, was gone. Alfred felt his legs go numb as he took it all in; he stumbled and fell to the ground, taking Ivan down with him.

"Alfred?!" Ivan cried as he looked at the shocked blonde.

"I'm fine," Alfred said softly as he looked at the crippled city he'd known his whole life. "I'm okay."

Alfred honestly felt okay—he felt okay with what they had done, with the future that lay ahead. A sense of relief washed over him as he realized that the threat of the Givers was gone, that he could be with Ivan and his friends without needing to fear for his life. He felt… overwhelmed that the life he had lived for 23 years was over. Well, he had thought it over the few months before when Ivan had first taken him, but now, now it was truly over.

He looked at the damaged streets to see cracked and untouched screens still showing the video of his torture and the Radical lifestyle. He saw citizens and Radicals alike watching the screens and looking at the city in awe. He could feel something about his city had changed, the people within it had changed.

"Alfred?"

The no-longer-B-Class turned to look at the man he'd come to love against all odds. Ivan Braginsky looked at him with concern, but it faded away as Alfred smiled at him. He smiled brilliantly, then latched onto him and kissed him deeply, with zero regards to who saw them.

"You're going to suffocate him," Matthew said from not far from Alfred's left.

Alfred pulled away laughing, the infectious sound of relief and joy quickly spread to the others. The laughter turned into shouts, the shouts turned into cheers, and soon every Radical and citizen around began to celebrate. Alfred couldn't stop himself from smiling as he looked at everyone; seeing Matthew happy, Kiku smiling a bit wider than usual, Yong Soo jumping around, Ludwig was sitting up look dazed but had a smile on his face as he sat with Toris, and Arthur grinning in approval as he still held Francis in his arms.

"Mon Dieu," Francis groaned out as he put a weak hand to his head.

Arthur gasped as he looked down at Francis, and once his bright blue eyes opened Arthur found himself moving down to hug the blonde tightly.

"Oh mercy, I thought you died on me!" he cried.

Francis winced from the hug, but accepted it happily.

"So, that's it, then?" he whispered. "It takes me nearly dying for you to love me?"

This question instantly made Arthur tense and let go of the man, letting him fall back on his lap with a thud

"I am not that easy!" Arthur huffed, though he had a bright pink on his face that gave Francis the true answer.

Arthur didn't look back at Francis, but instead kept his eyes on the celebration that was coming to an end. The hype of victory calmed down to a pleasant buzz within everyone, and Ivan took that moment to get to his feet. With Alfred's aid he stood up and climbed on top of the rubble that they had fallen back against. As he looked at the city he could see a few screens changing from their looping video. What was shown in its place was the falling of the Control Building, another part of the program. The cameras from round city had recorded everything, and were now displaying it on a few screens with Alfred's video.

Alfred sighed as he watched the footage, then turned to face Ivan.

"What do we do now?" he asked. "We no longer have a purpose."

He didn't sound particularly sad about it, but it was a legitimate question. Ivan smiled at Alfred and took his hand in his own.

"Things are changing," Ivan replied. "We have a new life purpose: to build ourselves a new life."

Alfred hummed as he heard this and tightened his hold on Ivan's hand.

"I think we can manage that."

* * *

**Translations:**

Da – yes

Mon Dieu – My God


	17. Chapter 17

**17**

**Epilogue**

"It is said that eight figures ruled over the eight cities, in a world called Grand Haven. They didn't have individual names, only one as a collective: The Givers. They controlled the human race with their ideals, using drugs, conditioning, and very, _very_ strict laws. You could not as much as think of someone of the same sex to be attractive, or else you'd be breaking one of those strict laws."

Giggles erupted throughout the room, but settled down just as quickly.

"The Givers had ruled for years," continued the teacher, "but that changed when Ivan Braginsky—a hated man by The Givers—destroyed them and their influence. After a battle of epic proportions The Givers fell, but three had managed to survive. Those three were convicted by their citizens with crimes against humanity, and were exiled from the world they had created. Some people wanted death, others wanted imprisonment, but Braginsky suggested exile so they could feel what it was like to live in the Old World.

"To this day, those three had never been seen. In their absence, we have rebuilt our society, and made it what it is today, fourteen years after the fall of The Givers."

"A free world!" a child's voice shouted out.

"That's correct—a free world."

A long beep sounded through a speaker, which signaled the end of the school day. The students eagerly put away their things as their teacher gave last minute instructions on homework.

"Good by Mr. B!" a few children shouted as they shut off their screens and put on their backpacks.

Alfred waved them off as they left the room, but stopped as he heard little gasps coming from the halls. He knew exactly who was causing it, before their ash blonde head even popped into the room.

"Hey, Vanya."

"Hello, moye solnyshko," he said happily, then stepped around a child as he walked into the room. "I take it you taught our newest addition in history today," Ivan said as he looked back at the door to see children peeking in then scurrying away upon being seen.

"Yeah, you're one cool dude," Alfred said with a smile.

"Ah, your eloquence seems to have deteriorated," Ivan teased, and Alfred punched him in the arm.

"Shut up. Come on, we can't leave Sasha with Mattie all day again, and Francis and Arthur are coming over to visit, so move it," Alfred urged as he started to push Ivan out of the room.

The Russian sighed and nodded his head, but instead of going out the door he grabbed it quickly and closed it. He then grabbed Alfred's pushing hands and moved the blonde to be pressed against the door. Alfred blushed darkly as he found himself pinned, but tried to play it off. Ivan let out a chuckle as he looked at Alfred. The blonde had grown a bit taller over the years, but not taller than himself. His blonde hair had become a little shaggy, his bright blue eyes seemed even brighter than usual. A thin scar cut through one of his eyebrows though, the blonde had wanted to keep it as a reminder. Alfred's pink face only grew darker as Ivan stared at him and he wondered if the man would kiss him.

"I'm glad I took down your horrible Givers. If I hadn't, I wouldn't be able to look at you like this, let alone be married to you," Ivan said softly.

Alfred cracked a smile at hearing that, having heard it numerous times before. It was something Ivan loved to say over and over.

"Shut up and kiss me already."

Ivan raised a pale eyebrow as he heard this, and smiled even more as he felt Alfred's hands already running up his neck and curly hair. He felt Alfred pull him down even, and without delaying Alfred's request any further, he leaned forward and kissed his husband lovingly.

Alfred moaned softly into the kiss as he felt Ivan press himself against his body. He was content to allow it, but once the Russian put his hands up his shirt he was quick to break the kiss.

"No! Not again," Alfred scolded.

"Just a quick one, da? They are gone," Ivan defended.

"No. You said that the last time, and then what happened?! Zae and her dad came knocking to talk with me," Alfred stated then slipped out of Ivan's hold to grab his bag. "Besides, sex in a room where fifth graders have class is… it's just _wrong_."

Ivan rolled his eyes at the rejection, then hugged Alfred from behind.

"Fine, fine," he said. "Come, we have our own child to pick up, da?"

"Damn right we do," Alfred huffed, then moved to open the door.

However, as he walked out, Ivan stayed with his arms wrapped around him, which didn't bother the blonde in the slightest. Sure, it looked odd to see a very tall man hugging a shorter one from behind while trying not to trip him up, but Alfred had gotten used to the strange looks after the fifth time it happened.

They walked out of the large brick and stone school to be out on a crowded street of B-City, formally known as S-3 City. The full name of the city was Braginsky, which Ivan had originally fought to decline, but Alfred and his sisters finally made him give in to the offer. He had been given the offer for saving humanity and helping in its rebuild. Ivan, along with other Radicals that had befriended the citizens, and started the reconstructing of life itself.

The whole of what was once Grand Haven had been destroyed and rebuilt. The cities where bigger, brighter, and full of life. People of every race and culture thrived in the cities. The world they lived in was peaceful. No ruler stood above them, only a system that worked as honestly as its people—which, so far, was not a problem. After so many years of life under The Givers' rule, everyone wanted to keep that, and other past mistakes, dead and buried.

They had a new life.

* * *

**Translations:**

moye solnyshko - my sunshine

***Well there you have it! The end of A Change! Thank you all for sticking with me on this wild ride and keeping me going! Also Thanks to my editor, aka wife, aka step-mother to our child, for making this thing phenomenal! Love ya Tangerine Forget-Me-Not (Orang3lover...you have a thing for citrus my friend).**

**ANYwho, as most of you know, or don't, I'm facing retirement! Yep, it's a big _possibility_ for me because of family issues and graduating form college. It suck but ya know, shit happens, but I wont know for sure until May 31st! But regardless  I'll always be posting on my TUMBLR: Colorfulshipseverywhere  
**

**Now that this is done, I shall get ready to post Blood Street! My teenager street gang AU from my Collection of Ink! It's going to be a hilarious, violent, romantic, ride! Hope you guys enjoy it when it's up, and hope you enjoyed A Change! Thanks again!**

 


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